Cats in the Cradle
by supernaturaldarkangel252018
Summary: Father's Day AU where Sam and Dean get to be a Dad.
1. Chapter 1

_Hey everyone! So in honor of Father's Day I thought I would post this little AU to my Family series where Sam and Dean get a chance to be a Dad._

* * *

"Ok, let's split up," Dean said. "Alec, top floor. Sam, main floor. Yell if you find something."

Sam and Alec both nodded before they all parted ways. Dean went down to the basement and slowly searched the area. He was pretty sure this was a snipe hunt, but they hadn't had anything to do in weeks. They were all bored out of their minds and even if it was a snipe hunt, at least they were out of the motel.

He and Sam had been bickering nonstop and Alec would off and on drive them insane with his constant talking. They needed something to do or else they were going to kill each other.

It didn't take him long to search the basement, and just like he thought in the beginning, he didn't find anything. He slowly walked back up the stairs and found Sam in the kitchen. Sam looked up when he walked in, but shook his head no.

"Has Alec come down yet?" Dean asked.

"No, not yet," Sam said. "You think maybe he found something?"

"Only one way to find out," Dean muttered, heading for the stairs. Sam followed behind him, but he figured Alec was just messing around.

But he didn't see Alec in the first two rooms and he and Sam shared a look. He moved on to the next room; he was starting to get a funny feeling that something might actually be wrong. Alec wasn't in that room either…

Dean almost ran to the last room, but he stopped short when he saw a little boy, who was maybe three years old, lying on the ground with a gash to the back of his head. The boy was lying in a pile of clothes that looked way too big for him.

Sam ran into his back, not seeing that he had stopped, but he was still too shocked to say anything. The little boy's head was shaved and there was a barcode on the back of his neck.

"What-" Sam started.

"Do you think…" He couldn't even say it. It couldn't be possible that this little boy was actually Alec. He took a slow step inside; even if the little boy wasn't Alec, he still needed to get him out of here.

"Dean, this can't seriously be Alec…can it?" Sam asked.

"He's got a barcode, Sam…those are Alec's clothes…" Dean said.

"What happened to him?" Sam asked.

"Sam, I don't know, ok? But we gotta get him outta here. Whatever did this could come back," Dean said. "And I'm not letting anything happen to him."

"Alright, yeah, we need to get outta here," Sam said.

Dean walked further into the room and crouched down next to the little boy. He couldn't quite bring himself to think that this really was Alec just yet. He carefully turned the boy over, but his eyes widened when the boy sudden scrambled back and hid in the corner. Alec's pants, shoes, and jacket were still on the ground and he was just wearing the t-shirt that was way too big for him. He definitely had confirmation now that this was Alec. He had bright green eyes and freckles over his nose.

"Alec, hey, it's ok," Dean said softly. Alec was shaking he was so scared, but Dean put his hands up to try to show that he wasn't going to hurt him. "Alec, do you know who I am?" Dean asked. Alec shook his head no and hid again. "My name's Dean and that's Sam…" Dean pointed over to Sam who was staying back a little since Alec was already scared. "This place is not a good place, but me and Sammy can take you somewhere safe. You cool goin' with us?"

Alec didn't answer so Dean stood up and slowly walked over to him and kneeled down again. "C'mon kiddo, let's go," Dean urged. He reached out to Alec, but he flinched back in fear. "Hey, I'm not gonna hurt you, ok? I'm just gonna pick you up just in case we gotta move fast." Alec still looked unsure, but he didn't flinch when Dean reached for him again.

Dean picked Alec up; he was so little, he hardly felt like anything in his arms. Alec was still shaking, but he did wrap his arms around his neck so that was a good sign.

"Sam, grab his clothes," Dean said, holding Alec close.

Sam scooped up his clothes and they both ran down the stairs and out of the house. Dean walked straight to the backseat and started putting Alec in the car, but Alec refused to let go. "Alright kiddo, we can sit up front…" Dean got the keys out of his pocket and tossed them to Sam. "I guess you're driving…"

Sam started the car and Dean sat down with Alec sitting in his lap. Alec had a death grip on his shirt and he was hiding his face in his jacket. Dean hated to think about what had made Alec this scared, but he knew it had something to do with Manticore.

"Dean…this is insane," Sam said. "How is this Alec? He's what…three years old or something?" Dean could hear him freaking out, but he was freaking out too.

"Sam, I know," Dean whispered. "But let's save the freaking out for later, ok?" Dean rubbed Alec's back and glanced over at Sam. "Right now, let's just take this one step at a time. First step, get back to the motel and patch Alec up."

"What's step two?" Sam asked.

"We'll figure out step two after we finish step one," Dean said.

They drove in silence the rest of the way to the motel. Alec was shaking less by the time they stopped, but he didn't come out of his hiding place. Dean got him in the motel room and sat down on one of the beds. Sam walked in a few seconds later with their first aid kit and a bag of ice.

"Should I call-"

"Sam, step one first, and then we'll figure out step two," Dean cut off. Sam nodded and opened their first aid kit. Dean turned his attention to Alec and asked, "Is it ok if I take care of your head?" Alec stiffened and shook his head no. His grip on his shirt tightened and he tried to get even closer to him. "Ok, ok, what if I keep holding you and Sammy takes care of your head?" Dean asked. Alec took a deep breath and barely nodded his ok.

Sam poured some peroxide on a cloth and slowly walked forward. "Alec, this is gonna sting a bit," Dean warned. Sam gently pressed the cloth to the gash in Alec's head; Alec tensed, but that was the only sign he showed that he was in pain.

Sam cleaned out the cut, and then said, "Looks like he doesn't need stitches, so we can just ice it."

Dean nodded and reached out for the ice. "Ok, this is going to be cold, but it'll help," Dean whispered. He put the ice on the back of Alec's head, but kept ahold of him. "Everything's ok…we're gonna keep you safe."

He knew Sam was itching to come up with step two, but for now he just wanted to make sure Alec thought he was safe. He scooted back on the bed and leaned against the headboard. "Do you want to get a little more comfortable?" Dean asked Alec. He didn't reply, so Dean took that as a yes. He shifted Alec around until he could hold him a little easier while still keeping the ice against the back of his head.

"Do you want a blanket?" Dean asked softly. Alec just looked back at him, so he shrugged at Sam who walked over to the closet and grabbed the blanket that was in there. Dean wrapped it around Alec and said, "You can go to sleep if you want to."

"No," Alec whispered, looking scared again.

"I won't let anything get you, ok kiddo? I'm gonna be here the whole time," Dean reassured.

"Promise?" Alec asked.

"I promise," Dean said with a small smile. Alec looked at him for a few more seconds before his eyes slowly closed.

"Ok, step two," Sam said, as soon as Alec's breathing slowed in sleep.

"Step two, we need to make a list of things to do, and then we follow that list," Dean said. Sam grabbed a notebook and a pen and looked at him expectantly. "First, we need to get him some clothes that fit. He can't go around wearin' an oversized t-shirt everywhere we go, it's probably not that comfortable and it looks a little suspicious."

"Ok, first thing…clothes," Sam muttered as he wrote.

"Then he's gonna need food and we gotta make sure he still gets his pills, but we might have to give him a smaller dose than usual since he's so little now," Dean said.

"Food and pills…ok, what about actually fixing this?" Sam asked. "We gotta figure out what did this and turn him back. He can't stay like this forever."

"We should call Bobby and see if he's ever heard of this," Dean said. "But Sam, I've never heard of this before…I don't know if there is a way to fix it…"

"Dean-"

"We'll call Bobby, but our main focus right now is taking care of him," Dean said.

Sam took a deep breath, but nodded, "Yeah, you're right."

"He's so scared, Sam" Dean whispered. "I think he thought I was gonna hurt him…"

"Dean, he already trusts you. If he thought you were gonna hurt him, he wouldn't be asleep right now," Sam pointed out.

"I just wanna keep him safe," Dean said.

Sam nodded, but then he smiled a little and said, "First thing we do, we get him some clothes."

* * *

Dean woke up with Alec still sleeping in his arms. He had a moment of panic before he remembered what had happened. Alec was so little; Dean picked up one of his tiny hands and smiled a little seeing his tiny fingers. If he ever had a chance at having kids, he kind of hoped they would look just like Alec. But he was never going to have kids; the closest he would get would be taking care of Alec before they got him changed back.

Alec turned slightly in his arms and slowly opened his eyes. His eyes widened in panic though when he saw where he was.

"Shh Alec, it's ok," Dean reassured. "You're still safe. Do you remember me?"

Alec relaxed after a moment and nodded, "Dean."

"That's right," Dean said with a smile. "That's my name. Does your head hurt?"

Alec looked uncertain, but then shook his head no. "Dean…"

"Yeah kiddo?"

"What does 'Alec' mean?"

"Alec is you. That's your name," Dean said.

"But I'm X5-494," Alec said.

"Well, which one do you like better?"

"Alec," he said, looking away from him.

"Ok, I'm going to keep calling you Alec," Dean said. "What d'you say to a bathroom break, huh?"

Alec looked confused so Dean picked him up as he stood and walked over to the bathroom. He hesitated at the door though and asked, "Do you need help or can you go by yourself?" Jeez, he had no idea how to do this. Alec still looked confused; he walked inside and helped Alec out.

He held Alec up high once they were done, making him giggle before he settled him on his hip.

"Once Sammy wakes up, we're gonna get you some clothes and some food. How does that sound?" Dean asked.

Alec snuggled against his neck and asked, "Then what?"

"Then…I guess we come back here," Dean said.

"Can I stay with you?" Alec asked quietly.

"Yeah kiddo, you can stay with me forever," Dean replied.

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"Wha's goin' on?" Sam slurred sleepily.

"Me and Alec were just waiting on you to wake up," Dean said, turning to face Sam.

Sam's eyes widened when he saw Alec, but he quickly covered it up, "Hey buddy, how's your head?"

"Good," Alec said shyly. He ducked his head and hid against his neck again.

"You remember Sammy, don't you?" Dean asked Alec. He nodded, but he didn't come out of his hiding spot. "Sammy's my brother. He's gonna keep you safe too."

"Ok," Alec said.

"Dean, you want me to go shopping and bring the clothes back?" Sam asked.

"No, we don't know what size he wears," Dean said. "We haven't needed kids' clothes in years…Plus, this way he can pick out what he likes and we can get food after."

"Ok," Sam said.

Dean nodded and carried Alec to the car. Alec latched onto his shirt though when he tried to put him in the backseat. "Alec, c'mon kiddo, it's not safe for you to sit up front."

"But…" Alec said, his lip trembling.

"I'm going to be right up there," Dean said, pointing to the steering wheel. "You can sit right in the middle and you'll still be able to see me."

"Ok," Alec said. He let him buckle him in and watched him to make sure he was going where he said he was.

Alec relaxed a little when he sat in the driver's seat and Sam got in the passenger's seat. Dean drove to the closest store, and then picked Alec up again once he parked.

"Follow my lead," Dean said to Sam. He walked up to the clerk and said, "Hi, um, my son had an accident and got blood on his clothes. We didn't pack a change of clothes, is it ok if we pick something out and just pay for it after he changes?"

"Of course," the woman said with a sympathetic smile at Alec.

"Thank you," Dean said sincerely.

"Good, now there won't be any questions," Sam said as they walked away.

"It's easier to lie when you've got the world's cutest kid with you," Dean said.

"Yeah, she didn't even ask about his shoes," Sam pointed out.

"Let's find out what size he is, and then we can stock up," Dean said. Sam nodded his agreement and they headed for the boy's section. "Grab some underwear and I'll grab a pair of pants and a shirt." Sam walked away and they headed for where the pants were folded and some t-shirts were hanging up. Dean grabbed a pair of jeans, and then turned to the shirts. "See anything you like?" Dean asked.

Alec shook his head no, so he moved to another section.

"What about this one?" Dean asked, holding up a t-shirt with a dinosaur on it. "This one's pretty cool."

"Yeah," Alec said.

"Ok, let's see if Sammy found ya some undies, and then we just gotta find a changing room," Dean said.

"Hey," Sam said, meeting them halfway. "I grabbed a couple packs, but I found just one pair too, so we can make sure they're the right size."

"Wait, does he need pullups or something? I don't know if this is right…" Dean muttered.

"Does he know how to go to the bathroom by himself?" Sam asked.

"No…I don't think so…he didn't this morning anyway," Dean answered.

"I'll grab some and we can use them if we need them," Sam said.

"Alright, let's find a changing room," Dean said. Sam looked around and pointed when he saw one. Dean walked over and quickly got Alec dressed. "What d'you think?" Dean asked him.

"I like it," Alec said with a smile.

"You wanna show Uncle Sammy?" Dean asked.

"Yeah!" Alec said, running out of the changing room. "Sammy! Sammy!"

Alec sprinted towards Sam, who picked him up in surprise. "Hey buddy."

"Look," Alec said, pointing to his shirt. "It's cool."

"That is really cool. Dinosaurs are awesome," Sam said, tickling Alec's tummy.

"Why did Dean call you 'Uncle Sammy'?" Alec asked.

Dean walked over and said, "Well, because Sammy's my brother and…"

"And Dean's your Dad," Sam said when he stopped.

"My Dad?" Alec asked.

"Um, yeah, 'cause I'm takin' care of you," Dean said. "And that's what Dad's do." Alec twisted in Sam's arms and reached out for him. He took Alec and held him close; they were technically lying to Alec, but it felt good to say he was Alec's Dad.

"Since those seem to fit, I'll grab him some more and you get socks and shoes," Sam said.

Dean nodded and carried Alec over to the shoes. He grabbed a tiny pair of socks on his way, and then sat Alec down on the bench. "Ok, let me see your foot," Dean said. Alec held his foot up so Dean could get his sock on him. Dean tickled his foot though and he giggled. "You're ticklish…" Dean said, picking up his other foot and tickling him some more. Alec laughed and tried to scoot away, but Dean wouldn't let him.

"Your son's adorable," a woman suddenly said, drawing his attention.

"Um, thank you," Dean replied.

"He looks just like you," the woman said before walking away.

Dean gently bopped Alec's nose and said, "You look just like me." Alec wrinkled his nose, and then bopped him back. "Now let's pick out some shoes, and then get some food." Alec reached up to be picked up again, but Dean chuckled and shook his head no, "Not yet kiddo, you gotta try the shoes on first." Alec huffed, but giggled again when he tickled his feet. "It'll only take a second…"

Dean got up and grabbed a little pair of sneakers. He put them on Alec's feet and tied his shoes for him.

"Do they fit ok?" Dean asked. Alec nodded, but he asked to make sure, "It's not too tight or too big?"

"No," Alec said.

"Ok, then it's time for food," Dean said.

He picked Alec up and carried him back to where Sam was. Sam had a stack of clothes, and he smiled when he saw them. "Pay, and then food?" Sam asked.

Dean nodded and let Sam lead the way to the checkout. "Hold up," Dean said. "We should get him a car seat…"

"You think he's going to be a kid that long to need it?" Sam asked.

"Dude, it's not safe for him to ride around like this. Even in the backseat he could get hurt," Dean said.

"Ok, we'll pick up a car seat too…"

* * *

"Ok, pills aren't going to work…" Dean muttered as Alec choked for the third time.

"Dean, how're we going to keep the seizures off if he can't take pills? We even cut them in half and he still can't take them," Sam said.

"We'll figure something out," Dean said, pulling Alec closer to his side.

"I'm sorry," Alec whispered.

"It's ok kiddo," Dean instantly reassured. "What if we just had him drink milk every day? He's so little, maybe he doesn't need as much tryptophan…"

"We could try it, and then if he starts shaking we just have to figure something else out," Sam said.

"Alec, do you like milk?" Dean asked. Alec shrugged like he didn't know what that was. "It's really good. I think you'll like it."

"Ok."

"You think it's time to call Bobby?" Sam asked after they ordered.

"Yeah, after we eat we can call him," Dean said, picking Alec up and sitting him on his lap. The waitress had left a kid's menu for Alec and some crayons, but Alec couldn't reach the table. She had asked if they needed a booster seat, but Dean said no. If Alec couldn't reach, then he could just sit on his lap. "You wanna color?" Dean asked Alec. He just looked back at him, unsure, so Dean picked up a crayon and showed him what to do. Alec picked up another crayon and colored on a spot near where he was coloring. "Do you think he's ever seen anything like this?" Dean asked.

"I don't know," Sam admitted. "But he's seen a lot so maybe he has."

"What if he doesn't know…" Dean said. He kept coloring next to Alec, but he wasn't really sure what he wanted right now. He loved Alec as his brother, but this was completely new. Alec could have a better life this way and he could be a Dad. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if they couldn't change Alec back.

"Dean, I know that look," Sam said. "We gotta change him back. We don't know how to raise a little kid…"

"I do know how to take care of a little kid. I just gotta remember from when I took care of you," Dean said.

"Dean-"

"And here we go. A stack of pancakes for everyone, two coffees, and a milk. Anything else?" The waitress asked.

"No, we're good," Dean replied.

"You sure you don't want a booster seat?" The waitress asked.

"We're fine," Dean said. He pulled his and Alec's pancakes over, and then started to cut Alec's pancakes up into small bites. He poured syrup over both of the plates and asked Alec, "Do you know how to use a fork?" Alec nodded and held one of the forks in his little hand. Dean pulled the plate closer and said, "Be careful with the syrup, you don't wanna get it all over your new clothes."

"Ok," Alec said, scooping up a bite of pancake and eating it. "This is yummy. What is it?"

"They're pancakes," Dean said, taking a bite of his own.

"I like them," Alec said.

"Me too," Dean said. He rubbed Alec's head, and then pulled the cup of milk over. "Make sure you drink all of this, ok?"

"Ok," Alec said, reaching for the cup. Dean put a straw in it though before he held it for him. Alec drank out of the straw, and then turned back to his pancakes.

Dean looked up, but frowned when he saw Sam was looking at him. "What?"

"Maybe I was wrong," Sam said. "You are good at this…"

"We're just eating," Dean said defensively.

Sam shook his head, "You don't get it yet, but you will."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Dean muttered.

"Whatever you say, Dean," Sam said with a small smile.

* * *

Dean walked around the motel room, holding a sleeping Alec against him. Sam was on the phone with Bobby, but he wasn't really listening to the conversation. Sam and Bobby had been talking for hours and Dean had played with Alec until he'd gotten tired.

He forgot that little kids needed naps until Alec looked at him and rubbed his eyes sleepily. Dean had picked him up and started for the bed, but Alec didn't want to let go. So instead he kept ahold of Alec and carried him around the room until he fell asleep, his head resting against his shoulder.

"Dean," Sam whispered after a while.

"Yeah?"

"Bobby thinks we should come to his place," Sam said. "He's never seen this, but he could use some help with the research and I think he secretly thinks I'm lying."

"The old man's gonna have a heart attack when he sees him," Dean said

Sam chuckled, "I know…"

"I forgot kids needed a nap time," Dean said, making another loop.

"He sure is cute like this, isn't he?" Sam asked. He gently picked up Alec's little hand and said, "Look at how small his fingers are."

"Sam, we could do this," Dean said. "We could take care of him and raise him."

"Dean…I'm not saying no, but what about Alec, our Alec? We'll never have our little brother back," Sam said.

"But he'd have a better life," Dean said. "Think about it. He's only been through two years at Manticore. He hasn't suffered 19 years of pain. He gets to be a kid and we can take care of him."

"What if Bobby does find a way to fix this?" Sam asked. "Are we going to refuse to change Alec back?"

"No…I don't know," Dean said. He held Alec close and tried not to think about it too much. "Let's just argue about it later," Dean muttered.

"Fine," Sam said.

"Can you hold him for a minute?" Dean asked. "I gotta run to the bathroom."

Sam's eyes widened slightly and he asked, "Are you sure? I just-"

"C'mon Sam, he won't bite," Dean teased. He passed Alec over to Sam and said, "He just likes being held. He won't even know I'm gone."

Sam held Alec while he ran to the bathroom. He came back a minute later, but he smiled when he saw Sam rubbing Alec's back. He was rocking back and forth and he kissed the top of Alec's head before he turned around and saw him. "Oh, um, he started to wake up when you left…but he's asleep again…" Sam said.

"He's cute, huh?" Dean asked. "Quite the cuddle bug."

Sam passed Alec back to him and said, "Yeah, but he's always been a cuddle bug. He just won't admit it when he's older."

"You think he can ride all the way to Bobby's?" Dean asked.

"Only one way to find out," Sam said.

"Alright, I'm gonna wake him up and tell him what's goin' on, and then we can go," Dean said.

"I'll start packing."

Dean rubbed Alec's head and said, "Hey kiddo, can you wake up for me?" Alec snuggled against his neck, but didn't really wake up. "We're gonna go for a ride, so you gotta wake up and try to go potty, ok?"

"Where're we going?" Alec asked.

"We're gonna go see a friend," Dean said. "It's a long trip though so you should try to go to the bathroom. And then once we get on the road, you can go back to sleep if you want."

Alec nodded and they went to the bathroom.

* * *

 _Let me know if you guys want any more! Hope you liked it!_


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you for all the reviews! I'm glad to see you guys like it!_

* * *

It was late by the time they pulled into Bobby's salvage yard. Dean parked, and then got out and went to the backseat. Alec was asleep in the little car seat they'd gotten for him; he was wiped out since he'd tried to stay awake for as long as he could. He'd sat quietly the whole trip, but his focus was trained on the outside world. But he was just a little kid now, and sleep won out a few hours after the sun went down.

"Hey kiddo," Dean whispered, unbuckling the straps that were holding Alec in. "We're at Bobby's." Alec didn't wake up, but Dean didn't expect him to. He picked him up though and carried him around the car. Sam met him on the other side carrying one of their duffle bags.

Sam knocked on Bobby's door and they waited for him to answer. Dean chuckled at the look that appeared on Bobby's face when he saw Alec. His mouth dropped open and his eyes widened seeing baby Alec in his arms.

"Told you," Sam said.

"How did this happen?" Bobby breathed out.

"We don't really know," Dean said. "But he's really Alec. He's got a barcode and he's got bright green eyes. There's no one else it could be."

"How old is he?" Bobby asked.

"We think two or three," Dean said. He'd thought three at first, but now he was leaning closer to two. He spoke pretty well for a two-year-old, but the clothes they bought for him were for two-year old's and the car seat was for a two-year-old. "Actually, I'm thinking more like two…"

"Well, come on in…" Bobby said, holding the door open for them.

Dean carried Alec inside and sat down on the sofa with him. He was exhausted, but he knew Bobby had a million questions for them. He didn't want to answer any questions right now, but they owed it to Bobby.

"So, you just found him like this?" Bobby asked.

"Yeah, we were searching some house and he was just lyin' there when we found him," Dean said. "He was a little boy when we found him, wearing Alec's clothes that were way too big for him, and a gash on the back of his head."

"He doesn't remember anything?' Bobby asked.

"He didn't know who I was," Dean said. Alec had been so scared when they'd found him and he didn't want to see Alec that scared ever again.

"He's cute," Bobby said after a moment. "Haven't seen a kid that small since Sam was little." Bobby adjusted his hat, and then said, "I guess he trusts ya ok…Looks like he does anyway."

"Yeah, he likes us," Dean said, running his hand over Alec's head.

"He thinks Dean's Dad and I'm Uncle Sammy," Sam said. "It only took him a minute to warm up to Dean."

His eyes started to drift shut as Sam and Bobby kept talking. Alec was so warm against him, making him even more sleepy. "Listen Bobby, I'm worn out," Dean said before Bobby could ask another question. "I'm gonna take Alec upstairs and go to bed."

"Alright kid," Bobby said with a small smile. "Hollar if you need somethin'."

Dean nodded and slowly walked up the stairs. He opened the first door on the left and went inside. He stretched out on the bed, moving Alec a little so they could both be more comfortable.

* * *

Dean frowned when someone poked his cheek. He was still sort of asleep, but someone poked his cheek again, and then again.

"Dean," Alec whispered, poking his cheek again.

Dean opened his eyes and pretended to bite at Alec's finger when he moved to poke him again. Alec giggled and tried to poke him again. Dean grabbed his little hand, but then tickled him instead. Alec laughed and tried to get away, but Dean held onto him. Dean blew a raspberry on Alec's tummy, and Alec burst out in more laughter. Dean finally let him go and asked, "You hungry?"

Alec nodded and wrapped his little arms around his neck. "And a bathroom break…"

"Alright kiddo," Dean said with a smile. He took Alec to the bathroom, but he looked confused when he came back out. He knelt down in front of Alec and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Where are we?" Alec asked, his voice small. He was looking away from him; he didn't like not knowing where he was.

"We're at a friend's house. His name is Bobby," Dean said, reaching out to grab Alec's hands. "He might seem a little grouchy, but he's not mean, ok?"

"Ok…"

"And I'm not going anywhere," Dean reassured. "You ready for some food?" Alec nodded and wrapped his arms around his neck so he could be picked up. Dean carried him downstairs and into the kitchen. He made some cereal for him for breakfast. He sat down with Alec on his lap and dipped out a spoonful for him. Alec looked at it in disgust though and shook his head no. "You don't like cereal?"

Alec shook his head no again and turned to hide his face against his chest. Dean kissed the top of his head before he stood up again and started searching for something else. He should've known Alec wouldn't want cereal for breakfast; Alec didn't even like cereal when he was older.

"What about…um…" Bobby didn't have very much food in his house. They were going to have to go shopping again. "Y'know, we're just gonna have to go out to eat again…" Dean said. "Let me wake Sammy up and we'll go."

He walked back upstairs and opened the door to Sam's room. Sam turned over when he opened the door and asked, "Wha's goin' on?"

"Bobby doesn't have any food and Alec's hungry," Dean said. "We're goin' out if you wanna come."

"Yeah…alright," Sam muttered. "Better tell Bobby too."

Dean nodded and walked to Bobby's room next. He knocked this time before he opened the door and Bobby grumbled, "Yeah?"

"Alec's hungry and you don't have any food," Dean said. "We're goin' out."

"Alright…" Bobby said, suddenly much softer. Alec was hiding against him, which was probably why he was softer this time.

"You wanna go with us?" Dean asked.

Bobby's gaze shifted to Alec and he nodded. Dean smiled; Bobby was such a softie. "Yeah…I'll go with ya."

Dean nodded and started for the car. "Alright kiddo, we're gonna get some food…" He buckled Alec into his car seat, but Sam and Bobby hadn't come out yet so he didn't move away from Alec. "You sure are cute…" Alec looked at him with his big green eyes, but he didn't say anything. "Alec, do you remember anything from before I showed up?" Dean asked.

Alec's eyes teared up and he barely nodded back.

A tear slipped free and streaked down his cheek. Dean gently wiped the tear away and soothed, "It's ok. You're not there anymore, and I'm going to protect you. I promise I will always protect you and love you."

"What does love mean?" Alec asked.

Dean smiled, "That one's a little complicated to explain…But I think it means when you'll do anything for someone because you really care about them, forever."

"Do you love Uncle Sammy?" Alec asked, still trying to understand.

"Yeah, me and Sammy are brothers and I would definitely do anything for him," Dean said.

"And you'll make sure the mean people won't get me?" Alec asked.

"Those mean people will never get near you again," Dean said.

"And you're sure Bobby's not mean?" Alec asked.

Dean chuckled, "Yeah kiddo, I'm sure Bobby's not mean."

"Hey guys, we ready to go?" Sam asked, suddenly opening the back door and sliding in next to Alec.

"Yeah, we're ready," Dean said. He rubbed Alec's head before he got into the driver's seat. Bobby got in on the other side and they were on their way. He drove into town and stopped at the little diner not far from a park.

He got Alec out of his car seat and carried him inside while Sam got them a table.

"Can we get pancakes again?" Alec whispered against his chest. He was hiding against him and he wasn't sure if it was because of Bobby or because he'd never been here before.

"Yeah, we can get pancakes again," Dean replied. "You wanna color?" Alec shook his head no, but he barely peeked over at Bobby before he hid again.

"He's a shy little thing, huh?" Bobby asked with a small smile.

"He might take a while to warm up to you," Dean said.

"It's alright," Bobby said. Alec looked over at him curiously, but immediately hid again when Bobby's gaze shifted to him. Bobby chuckled and adjusted his hat.

"What's that?" Alec asked him as quietly as he could so no one else would hear.

"What's what?" Dean asked back.

" _That_ ," Alec said.

"I don't know what you're talkin' about, kiddo," Dean said. "Point to it." Alec shook his head no so Dean guessed, "Is it something Bobby has?"

Alec nodded, "It's on his head…"

"Oh, that's a hat," Dean said.

"You wanna see it?" Bobby asked. Alec nodded again and Bobby took the hat off and passed it across the table. Dean picked it up and plopped it on Alec's head.

Alec giggled and said, "I can't see!"

"You can't see?" Dean asked back with a smile.

"No!"

Dean stood Alec up and he balanced on his legs, "How 'bout now? Did that help?"

"No!"

He barely lifted the hat, but then dropped it back down. "I don't know, kiddo, I think that's just how hats are supposed to be…"

"No! It's too big!" Alec said. He took off the hat and held it up. Dean ducked his head so Alec could put the hat on his head. Alec pulled it down over his eyes though and he tickled his tummy.

"Alright, give Bobby his hat back and tell him thank you," Dean said once Alec threw his arms around him to make him stop tickling.

Alec took the hat and handed it back to Bobby, and then he said shyly, "Thank you."

Bobby smiled and put the hat back on, "No problem kid."

Alec bounced up and down on his legs as they waited for their food. Dean moved his legs apart making Alec lose his balance, but he caught him and Alec squealed with laughter. He set Alec back on his legs where Alec bounced up and down again until he moved his legs apart. He didn't know why this was so fun, but Alec seemed to be having a great time.

"Dean, we should get him some toys when we get some food," Sam said as they played their little game.

"That's a good idea. Maybe we could go to the park too," Dean said, glancing over at the park across the street. "Get rid of some energy…"

"Bobby, you cool with that?" Sam asked.

Bobby chuckled, "Yeah, I'm just along for the ride."

Dean managed to get Alec to sit down again once their food got there and it was an easy routine to get him to eat his pancakes. Alec sat on his lap and just ate his food once he cut it up and drank his milk without question.

"Let's go to the park first," Dean said, picking Alec up again once they were done.

Sam nodded in agreement and they walked across the street to the park.

"What's this?" Alec asked.

"It's a park where you can play," Dean said. He set Alec down and fixed his shirt, but Alec immediately reached up for him again. "Alec, this is going to be fun. Don't you want to play?" Alec shook his head no and kept his arms up. Dean picked him up again and asked, "What if me and Uncle Sammy play too?"

"Ok…" Alec said against his neck.

Dean walked over to the big jungle gym and went to the slide. "I'm too big for the slide, kiddo, but I'm going to set you up here, and then you slide down and Uncle Sammy will catch you, ok?"

"Are you sure?" Alec asked.

"I'm sure. You're gonna love it," Dean said.

He sat Alec up at the top of the slide and held onto him as he glanced over at Sam. He nodded back that he was ready, so Dean let go of Alec. He gasped as he slid down, but then laughed when Sam caught him.

"Again!" Alec yelled.

"Again?" Sam asked.

"Again, Uncle Sammy!" Alec said.

Sam picked him up and set him at the top of the slide. He let go and ran to catch Alec at the bottom. Alec squealed with joy and told Sam to go again. Sam picked him up and tossed him up before he caught him again.

Sam gave him a look and nodded that he had everything under control. Dean smiled and slowly walked back over to Bobby.

"You wanna keep him like this, don't you?" Bobby asked knowingly.

Dean rubbed the back of his neck, and then said, "Think about it Bobby. He never got to be a kid…he never knew what it was like to be loved or to have fun…I just don't think it's such a bad thing to keep him like this."

"I can see why, Dean, but…I don't know…It seems wrong for some reason," Bobby said. "He doesn't get a say in this…"

"You wanna ask him if he wants to stay like this? Because you can if you want to," Dean said.

"Dean," Bobby said with a sigh.

"Bobby, look at him," Dean said, pointing over at Sam and Alec. Alec was sitting on Sam's shoulders now and telling him where to go. He was laughing and smiling; it was the happiest he had ever seen him. "He looks so happy…"

"I know he does," Bobby said. "But I also can see another reason why you wanna keep him like this…"

"Oh yeah? What's that?" Dean asked.

"You wanna be a dad," Bobby said. He started to shake his head and argue, but Bobby cut him off. "Don't even try it. It would be impossible not to notice. You're so good with him…I just never thought you'd wanna be a dad."

"I don't know…I never thought I would be a dad, but now…I don't know…now I want to raise Alec. I want to be his Dad," Dean said.

"What if I find a way to fix this?" Bobby asked.

"Bobby…" Dean practically begged. He wanted to keep Alec like this; he didn't want to have to make the choice though if there actually was one.

"It's a big if, Dean," Bobby instantly backpedaled. "I've never seen or heard of anything like this…"

"Daddy!" Alec suddenly yelled, running at him.

Dean picked him up and spun him around as soon as he got there. "Where'd you hear that word, huh?" Dean asked, settling Alec against his hip again. He'd only told Alec that he was his Dad; he'd never used the word Daddy before.

"Uncle Sammy told me that I should say that," Alec said. "Is that ok?"

"Yeah Alec, that's ok," Dean reassured.

"Why did you stop playing?" Alec asked, messing with his collar.

"Well, me and Bobby had some things to talk about," Dean said. "Do you wanna keep playing or do you wanna go to the store now?"

"What's at the store? Alec asked.

"We're gonna get some food and some toys," Dean said.

"Toys?" Alec asked.

"You'll see when we get there," Dean replied with a small smile.

"Can we go to the store?" Alec asked.

"Yeah kiddo, we can go to the store," Dean said.

He carried Alec to the car seat again and buckled him in. Alec was quiet again as they drove; he seemed to really like looking outside. Alec smiled at him when he got him out of the car seat and he smiled back. Alec seemed a little more relaxed now even if he really didn't like doing new things at first. He reached up to be carried and Dean instantly picked him up and carried him into the store.

"Toys first?" Dean asked Sam and Bobby.

"Yeah," Sam said. "We should get a cart…he could ride in the little seat if he wanted too…"

Dean chuckled and nodded. Alec would probably like it and it would be pretty cute. They got a cart, but Alec didn't really want to let go of him. "Alec, it's like riding in the car. It's not scary," Dean said. "And I'm going to push the cart so I'll be right next to you."

"Ok…" Alec finally replied.

He put Alec in the little seat and smiled when he swung his little legs and giggled. "See, that's not so bad, is it?" Dean asked. Alec shook his head no, so he pushed the cart towards the toys.

The only problem now was, he didn't know what to get Alec. He really wanted to buy Alec everything, but he knew they didn't have the money for that. They'd already spent a lot of money on buying him all his new clothes, but Alec deserved everything.

"So, what kind of toy do you want?" Dean asked, walking down the aisle of toys. Alec was looking at all the toys with amazement, but he shrugged his little shoulders, not sure what he wanted. But it didn't take long for him to find something. He didn't say anything, but his eyes landed on a toy and he didn't look away. Dean rubbed Alec's head and reached out to grab the soft little bear.

He handed the bear to Alec, who carefully held the bear and looked up at him with surprisingly shining eyes. His lip trembled slightly, and Dean quickly picked Alec up and held him close.

"It's ok Alec," Dean soothed. He didn't know why the bear made Alec so upset, but he didn't think he really wanted to know. He rubbed Alec's back to try to comfort him, but Alec hid against his chest. He had a death grip on the little bear and silent tears streaked down his face. "Alec, kiddo, you wanna tell me what's wrong?"

"Can I keep it?" Alec whispered.

"Yeah kiddo, you can keep it," Dean said. "How 'bout we pick up a few more toys, and then do some food shopping, huh? And you can hold onto your teddy the whole time, ok?"

"Ok," Alec said.

"Sam, can you push the cart?" Dean asked. He wanted to hold Alec still since his little boy was so sad. He hated thinking about what Manticore did to Alec, but his mind was running wild. Alec's reaction was way too strong for this to just be something he wanted. "Everything's ok kiddo," Dean whispered.

"'M sorry Daddy," Alec mumbled against him.

"It's ok baby," Dean replied.

"Dean, what other toys should we get him?" Sam asked.

"Grab some playdough and…I don't know…a coloring book or something?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, I think those will be fun, and we can afford it," Sam said.

"And a bucket of these," Bobby suddenly said, dropped a bucket of duplo legos into the cart.

"Bobby…we really can't afford everything," Sam admitted.

"I'm getting the lego things," Bobby grumbled. "And maybe a little toy car too…" Dean and Sam both looked over at him in surprise and he quickly defended himself, "Hey, if we're gonna do this, then we're gonna do it right. If you're his Dad, then I'm his Grandpa, and he's gonna be spoiled rotten if I have anything to say about it."

Dean chuckled and kissed the top of Alec's head. He'd be ok with spoiling Alec; he wanted to give Alec everything.

"Now we just need food," Sam said.

"I'll leave that up to you," Dean said. "Just get him some snacks and some juice too, ok?"

"Where are you going?" Sam asked.

"We're just going to walk around. We might go out front so he can ride in that little car thing they have," Dean said.

"Ok," Sam said.

"Oh, and get him some bubble bath stuff," Dean said. "And maybe a little boat or a ducky or something. I think he should have a bath tonight…and maybe he should have a blanket for nap time."

"Dean, we're on a budget, remember?" Sam asked.

"No we're not," Bobby cut in. "I'll get him everything, Sam can get the food, and Dean, you can keep him entertained."

Dean nodded and started walking around the store. He tried to get Alec to come out of his hiding spot, but he refused. That was ok, he liked walking around and he knew Alec liked it too.

"You wanna go ride in the little car out front?" Dean asked. Alec shook his head no and wiggled closer. "How about we look at the big TVs or something?"

"No…"

"I'm gonna put you down for a second, ok?" Dean asked.

"No!" Alec said in panic.

"Ok, ok," Dean reassured. "How about we just sit down for a while and wait for Uncle Sammy and Bobby to get done?"

"Ok," Alec said with a shaky breath.

Dean quickly found a bench and sat down, shifting Alec to sit in his lap. Alec held his teddy as tightly as he could. "Alec, I promise, the teddy is yours, ok?"

"They'll find out and take it away," Alec whispered.

"No they won't," Dean said. "I won't let them, ok?"

"I'll-I'll get in t-trouble," Alec said, his lip trembling. "It's bad and it hurts…"

"Alec, look at me," Dean said. He waited until Alec looked up at him before he said, "They won't ever get you again. I love you, ok? And I'm going to protect you and keep you safe and no one's going to get to hurt you again. That is your teddy and no one is going to take it away from you."

Alec nodded, but tears were running down his face. His eyes were closed and his breathing was harsh. Dean held him close and gently wiped away the tears. He knew Alec was thinking about Manticore and he wanted to make it better, but he didn't know how. Alec was just a little kid and he shouldn't have been put through all of this.

He held Alec and tried to comfort him as much as he could until he calmed down. He managed to relax a little and held onto his little bear. "Daddy?"

"Yeah baby?" Dean asked back.

"I love you," Alec whispered.

"I love you too Alec," Dean said.

"Hey, I've been looking for you guys everywhere," Sam said, suddenly walking up.

"We got tired and sat down for a minute," Dean said. He lifted Alec up and held him against his chest so he could hide if he wanted to. He did hide, and Sam gave him a worried look. He shook his head no and stood up instead.

"I think I got enough food…Do you think he wants anything else?" Sam asked.

"No, I think he just wants to go home," Dean said. "Any idea where Bobby is?"

"He's still grabbing some things," Sam said. "I think he's taking spoiling Alec very seriously."

"Good, he needs to be spoiled," Dean said, kissing the side of Alec's head.

* * *

 _More soon..._


	3. Chapter 3

_Thank you so much for the reviews! I'm glad you guys like this story!_

* * *

Dean played with Alec for a while and showed him his new toys before he finally convinced him that it would be fun to play by himself with Uncle Sammy watching over him. Sam was nervous to actually be left alone with Alec. He and Alec played in the park together, but Dean was going outside with Bobby, so he was completely alone.

Alec was sitting on the floor, looking up at him with his big green eyes, waiting for him to play. He realized Alec was nervous too; Alec knew Dean and trusted Dean, but he was still sitting where he was so maybe this wouldn't be too bad. Dean was better at this than he was, but Alec was adorable and he wanted to make him happy.

"What do you want to play with?" Sam asked slowly. Alec still had his bear in his little hand, but he looked at the other toys that were sitting next to him. Sam walked forward and sat down next to Alec. He picked up the toy car that was big enough for Alec's bear to ride in and pressed a button on the top. The car revved and Alec looked up at him in surprise. "Wow! That's pretty cool, huh?"

Alec nodded and turned a little to get a better view of the car. Sam pressed the button again and Alec smiled. Sam held the car out and Alec reached out to touch it. "It sort of looks like Daddy's," Alec said.

"Yeah, it does sort of look like Daddy's," Sam agreed.

Alec giggled when he pressed the button and the car made noise. Sam drove it around on the carpet and Alec stood up and chased after him. Sam laughed and drove the car in the air and Alec ran after him to keep up.

They played that game for a while, and then moved on to his other toys

Sam kept him entertained all morning, and then fed him lunch. Alec kept ahold of his bear the entire time and he wished he knew why Alec liked it so much. But Alec either didn't want to talk about it, or he didn't know how to put it into words. He was just a little kid after all, and even when he was older he had problems with telling them things.

Alec decided he wanted to color after lunch, so Sam turn on the TV and hung out in the living room while Alec colored. It was close to 2 in the afternoon when Alec dropped his crayons and looked up at him.

"What's wrong, buddy?" Sam asked. Alec looked down, but rubbed his eyes. Sam frowned; was Alec tired? "You wanna find Daddy?" Sam asked, and Alec nodded. Sam stood up, and he expected Alec to stand up too, but he just held his arms up. Sam smiled and lifted Alec in his arms. Alec snuggled against his chest, making him smile and kiss the top of Alec's head. Alec was so little; he felt like a giant holding him, but he felt like he could keep him safe. He would do anything to keep Alec safe.

He walked outside and headed for the garage where Dean and Bobby were working on cars.

"Dean!" Sam called out once they were close.

"Yeah!" Dean called back. His voice was muffled, so Sam figured he was under one of the cars.

"Alec's ready for a nap," Sam said. "And he misses his Daddy."

Dean rolled out from under the car and quickly stood up. He wiped his hands on a rag and walked over to them. "Hey kiddo, you sleepy?" Dean asked. Alec nodded and reached for Dean; his brother smiled and held Alec close. Alec was asleep almost instantly with his bear held tightly in one hand and gripping Dean's t-shirt with his other. "How was playtime?" Dean asked softly.

"It was fun," Sam said. "But Dean, did he say anything about the bear? He won't let go of it."

"It's somethin' with Manticore, but he doesn't know how to talk about it and he's afraid he's going to get in trouble," Dean said.

"Well, he likes all of his toys, but no surprise, he doesn't like vegetables but he does like pudding," Sam said in amusement. "And I didn't realize it was naptime until he rubbed his eyes, but I did know he wanted you for naptime so maybe I'm getting better at this."

"I knew you'd be good at this," Dean said, rubbing Alec's back. "I'm gonna take him inside."

Sam nodded and followed his brother back to the house. Dean sat down in the recliner, but kept Alec against his chest. "Taking care of a little kid is hard," Sam said, exhaustion pulling at him.

"That's why naptime is awesome," Dean said. He leaned back in the recliner and closed his eyes.

"We haven't even really done anything today," Sam muttered. "I mean, we went to the park, and we went shopping, and then we played for a while, but now I'm exhausted."

"Which is why it's naptime," Dean pointed out.

"You know this place is a death trap for Alec," Sam said. "The knives in the kitchen, our guns, the wall sockets…He could seriously get hurt in here. Not to mention that we need to gate off the basement. Who knows what Bobby's got down there…"

"Sam, relax, ok?" Dean said, opening his eyes again. "For now, he likes being around us so we can keep him safe. We'll work up to baby proofing the house, but just relax, ok?"

Sam took a deep breath, but then nodded. He just wanted to keep Alec safe. But he did look pretty happy now. He really did love Dean and Dean was a fantastic Dad.

* * *

Dean woke up again a couple hours later still holding a sleeping Alec. He looked around the room and saw that Sam was asleep too. Looking around he agreed with Sam that the house was a death trap for Alec. They would have to work on baby proofing the house so he'd be safe.

"I wondered where you went," Bobby said, suddenly walking inside.

"It was naptime," Dean said with a small smile.

"I see that," Bobby replied.

"Sam mentioned baby proofing the house," Dean said. "I think he's right…"

Bobby nodded, "Yeah, we gotta do that and I think maybe we should work on setting up a room for him."

"I don't know…he seems to like sleeping with me…" Dean muttered. He liked having Alec with him; he was warm and he knew Alec slept better when someone was with him. It was true even when he was older and he didn't want Alec to have nightmares without him around. He wanted to protect his little boy from whatever he could.

"He should have his own room, Dean. A place to put his toys and it's nice to have a place to call your own."

"I'm not making him sleep there if he doesn't want to," Dean said.

"Ok, just keep it in mind," Bobby said. "It might be fun to make up a room for him…"

"He could have little racecar sheets or something," Dean said, trying not to think about it too much. But he couldn't help it. Alec's room could be really fun to set up. "But I don't know…that's gonna cost a lot of money."

"We'll just take it slow. Buy him a few things here and there until we have a room for him," Bobby said.

"Ok…that doesn't sound like a terrible idea," Dean said.

"What doesn't sound like a terrible idea?" Sam mumbled sleepily. He sat up and looked around at them, but smiled when he saw Alec.

"Setting up a room for Alec," Dean whispered.

Sam nodded, "Yeah, that doesn't sound like a terrible idea."

"Racecar sheets are happening," Dean said, smiling down at Alec.

* * *

"Ok Alec, it's time for a bath," Dean said after dinner. Alec looked up at him with big eyes and he shook his head no. He was still holding his Teddy, but he was also playing with the toy car. "Don't you want to be clean?"

"No," Alec said, his voice small.

"No?" Dean asked back, trying to hide his smile. "Do you know what bath time is?" Alec shook his head no again. "It's a lot of fun. I think you're really going to like it." Alec still didn't look sure. "I'll even put a ton of bubbles in it."

"Bubbles?" Alec asked in confusion.

"You wanna see it?" Dean asked.

"Ok," Alec whispered. Dean walked over to Alec and picked him up. "Is it scary?" Alec asked as he walked upstairs.

"No kiddo, it's not scary," Dean reassured. He set Alec on the floor and filled the tub with bubbles and warm water. Alec hid behind his leg, still afraid of the bath, but he wasn't running away. "See, it's not scary," Dean said. "Don't you want to play in the bubbles?"

Alec smiled a little and nodded. Dean got him undressed and carefully picked him up and put him in the tub. Alec giggled and hit at the bubbles to pop them. "Daddy! Bubbles!"

"Yeah baby," Dean said with a smile. He put a pile of bubbles on top of Alec's head making him giggle more. Dean gave him some toys to play with while he cleaned him up. It turned out Alec really liked bath time. He played in the tub until most of the bubbles were gone. "Alright, c'mon kiddo, time to get out and get dried off."

"Do I have to?" Alec asked.

"Yeah baby, but you can take another bath tomorrow, ok?" Dean asked. Alec nodded, so he got him out of the tub and dried him off with a big, fluffy towel. Alec smiled at him and he smiled back, ruffling his short hair. Dean got him in his PJ's, picked him up, and took him downstairs. Alec was sleepy again and snuggled against his neck as soon as he sat down.

"I guess bath time went well?" Sam asked him.

"Bubbles are a new favorite," Dean replied. "He didn't want to get out."

"So, what's the plan for tomorrow?" Sam asked.

"We could take him to the creek to catch frogs," Dean said. He shifted Alec a little so he could be more comfortable now that he was asleep. He ran his hand through his boy's hair and rocked him slightly while he slept. He was still getting used to taking care of Alec and being a dad, but he already thought of Alec as his own son.

"Dean, are we going to hunt while Alec's like this?" Sam asked quietly after a few minutes.

He hesitated before he shook his head no. "Not for a while at least. Bobby would have to look after Alec, and I don't think he'd understand us leaving for a few days. And I don't want anything to happen to us where we couldn't take care of him, or what if something followed us back and hurt him? I just…I don't know if that's in the cards for us anymore…"

Sam nodded in understanding, but then said, "I just wish that you wouldn't have to lose a part of who you are…I wish you could be a dad and you could hunt."

Dean looked down at Alec and smiled, "Sam, I don't miss hunting. If I wanted to hunt, then I'd be looking for some way to get Alec back to normal. But this is what I want. Are you ok with not hunting?"

"Yeah, I'm ok with not hunting," Sam replied with a small smile.

* * *

"And, and Daddy caught 10 frogs! He let me hold them, but they hopped out of my hands! They were really slimy!" Alec told Bobby as fast as he could. "And then Uncle Sammy fell in the water and he got all muddy! Daddy laughed and Uncle Sammy looked really mad, but then he started laughing too!"

Dean chuckled as Alec told Bobby everything that happened at the creek. He was bouncing up and down he was so excited. He had really liked going to the creek. Bobby was nodding and smiling with what Alec was saying, but it was obvious that he wasn't catching everything his boy was saying.

"So, ya had fun?" Bobby teasingly asked.

"Yes!" Alec replied. He turned to him and quickly asked, "Can we go back after lunch?"

"As long as you eat all of your vegetables," Dean bargained.

"Ok," Alec said.

Dean scooped him up, making him giggle, and sat him on his shoulders. "Do you think you can catch a frog when we go back to the creek?" Dean asked as he walked towards the kitchen.

"Yeah, I think so," Alec said matter-of-factly.

"How many do you think you can catch?" Dean asked.

"Probably four or five at least," Alec said. "Will you hold them when I catch them?"

"Yeah, I'll hold on to them," Dean said. He started making Alec a peanut butter and jelly sandwich as he said, "But I think you can catch more than that. If I can catch 10, then you can probably catch like 15 or 20."

"No!" Alec argued.

He laughed and nodded, "Yeah, I think you can."

"Daddy, that's too many," Alec said. Dean put some apple slices and some carrots on Alec's plate. "No Daddy, I don't like the orange ones."

"Do you want broccoli instead?" Dean asked.

"No," Alec muttered.

"Well, you need to pick one, kiddo," Dean replied easily. "Unless you don't want to go back to the creek…"

"I'll eat the orange ones," Alec said.

"Carrots, the orange ones are called carrots," Dean said.

"Carrots," Alec repeated.

"We'll put some ranch with them so they'll taste better," Dean said. He finished making Alec's lunch and took the plate to the table, cut his sandwich in half, and cut off the crust. He got Alec off his shoulders and held him as he got his sippy cup and filled it with juice before he sat down with Alec on his lap.

Alec immediately went for his sandwich and leaned back against him while he ate. He ran his hand through his hair and kissed the side of his head.

"Hey, you need anything from town?" Sam asked, walking into the kitchen.

"What're you going to town for?" Dean asked back.

Sam looked away from him and busied himself with looking through the cabinets. "I just want to look around, that's all."

He knew Sam was lying; he was hiding something from him and he wanted to know what it was. But they couldn't just start arguing. Alec wouldn't understand what was going on and he didn't want to scare him. "Sam, just tell me. I'm not gonna get mad," Dean said, glancing down at Alec.

Sam looked at Alec too and gave him a small smile. "Bobby just mentioned the college in town and I was just going to look and see what classes they had. I wasn't going to sign up since we don't have that kind of money, but I just wanted to look since we aren't hunting anymore…"

"Sam, you could sign up for classes if you wanted to. We could figure out the whole money thing. Now that I'm helping Bobby with cars we should be able to bring more money in, but if you want to do it, you should," Dean said.

"I thought you didn't want me to go to college," Sam said, slowly sitting down across from him.

He shook his head and gave his brother a sad smile, "I wanted you to go to college. I just didn't want you to cut me out completely."

Sam looked back at him in shock, "I didn't know you wanted me to go to college…"

"It's no big deal," Dean said. They were getting too sappy for his liking and he wanted to steer the conversation back to Sam doing what he wanted to do.

"I would only sign up for a couple days a week so I wouldn't actually be gone that much," Sam quickly said. "And maybe I could get a job in town to help pay for it. And I could watch Alec after I'm done so you can do what you want too."

Dean chuckled, "Let's just figure out the details later. I'm going to take Alec back to the creek to play while Bobby works. Can you pick up a booster chair for Alec and some pizza for dinner?"

"Sure," Sam replied. He stood up and kissed the top of Alec's head before he left.

"What does college mean?" Alec asked quietly.

"College is where adults go to school to learn things," Dean said.

"Are you going to go to college?" Alec asked. He turned around to look at him, and he could see a sliver of fear in his boy's eyes.

"No kiddo, I'm not going to go to college," Dean said. "And Uncle Sammy's just going to go a few days a week during the day. He's not really going anywhere."

"Promise?" Alec asked.

"I promise," Dean said.

* * *

He ended up having to go to town anyway. He and Alec needed some swim trunks if they were going to go back to the creek, and this way he could take Alec to the pool one day. He might even pack Alec and Sam into the car and take them to the beach. They normally didn't swim, but if Alec liked it then he would make sure he got to do it.

"Daddy! Daddy! I caught one!" Alec yelled excitedly. He ran at him and held up the frog he'd caught.

"That's a big one," Dean said. He reached out and Alec gave him the frog before he ran back into the shallow water. Alec pounced and ran back a few seconds later with another frog for him to hold. His little boy got him two more frogs before they started to hop out of his hands. "Alec! The frogs are getting away," he called out, trying not to laugh too much.

"Daddy, don't let them go," Alec said, running back over. But the frogs were trying their best to escape his hold. One of them managed to get free, hopped right out of his hands, and landed on top of Alec's head. Alec yelled in surprise and the frog hopped away. He laughed as Alec messed up his hair to try to get rid of the frog slime.

"C'mere, I'll get rid of the slime," Dean said, releasing the remaining frogs. Alec ran over and he scooped him up.

"Daddy, how're you going to get rid of the slime?" Alec asked.

"Close your eyes," Dean said. He walked into the water and went further down where it was a lot deeper. He walked until he was waist deep; he was holding Alec out of the water so he still didn't know what they were doing. He fell back into the water and Alec gasped in surprise. He wiggled around until he could wrap his arms around his neck and hold on. "Whew, that's cold, huh?"

Alec nodded and hid his face against his neck.

"Do you know how to swim?" Dean asked. Alec shook his head no against him. "I'll teach you, but you'll have to let go, ok?"

"No Daddy," Alec whispered, his arms tightening around his neck.

"I won't let go of you," Dean reassured. Alec slowly let go of him and he held his little boy out at arm's length. "Can you kick your feet?" Alec kicked and smiled up at him to see if he was doing it right. "Good job," Dean praised. He shifted his hold and demonstrated what to do with his arms. "Can you move your arms like this?" Alec did as he did and looked up at him again. "Yep, now put them both together."

Alec kicked and moved his arms and he smiled and asked excitedly, "Daddy, am I doing it?"

"Yeah kiddo, you're swimming," Dean said with a big smile.

"I'm swimming!" Alec said.

"Keep doing what you're doing, ok? I'm going to let go, but if you sink then I'll grab you again," Dean said.

"Ok Daddy," Alec said, trusting him completely.

Dean let go of him, but he kept swimming. He couldn't stop smiling; he was so proud of his little boy. "Good job!" Dean said. "Tomorrow you can show Uncle Sammy how good you are at swimming."

"Daddy, can you pick me up again?" Alec asked.

"Yeah baby, I gotcha," Dean said, picking him up again. "Are you cold?"

"Yeah," Alec said, snuggling closer to him.

"Ok, we'll go in and get warmed up. How does that sound?" Dean asked. Alec nodded and he walked back to the bank. He set Alec down so he could wrap him up in the towel he'd brought with them, and then picked him back up. "Did you have fun swimming?"

"Yeah," Alec said. "Uncle Sammy will swim with us tomorrow?"

"I'll see if he will," Dean said. "Maybe we can go to the pool tomorrow. That way it'll be warmer."

"Are there frogs at the pool?" Alec asked.

Dean chuckled, "No, there aren't any frogs at the pool. But there are other kids and a slide, so it'll be fun."

"Ok Daddy."

* * *

 _If there's anything you guys want to see, let me know! There will be more soon!_


	4. Chapter 4

"Alec, you gotta stand still for me buddy," Sam said. He tried to get the sunscreen on Alec, but he just wouldn't stop fidgeting. They were at the public pool and Alec had been excited before they left, but now he was nervous with all the new people around. "I gotta get this sunscreen on you so you don't burn."

"Where's Daddy?" Alec whispered.

"Daddy's getting us a locker to keep our things safe while we swim," Sam reassured. "He's gonna be so proud of you if you have your sunscreen on by the time he gets back. So, if you stand still, I can get your sunscreen on."

"Why couldn't we swim in the creek?" Alec asked.

"The creek is cold buddy," Sam said. "And this way you might be able to make some new friends."

"I don't want new friends," Alec argued. His eyes widened and he looked at him in panic when he realized that he had just argued with him. "I'm sorry Uncle Sammy," Alec quickly apologized.

Sam gave him a small smile and stroked his cheek, "It's ok, Alec. Now just stand still for me, ok?" Alec nodded and actually stood still long enough for him to get sunscreen all over his back, arms, and chest. "Ok, now close your eyes real tight so I can get your face," Sam said. Alec shut his eyes as tightly as he could, looking super cute. He rubbed in the sunscreen and made sure he got the rest of his tiny nephew. He didn't want Alec to burn while they were at the pool.

"C'mere you little monster," Dean growled, running over and scooping Alec up.

Alec squealed in delight and yelled, "Daddy!"

"You smell like sunscreen," Dean said.

"Uncle Sammy made me," Alec said.

"Uncle Sammy is super smart," Dean said. "You ready to go swimming? Show off all your skills to Uncle Sammy?"

"Yeah! Let's go swimming!" Alec yelled.

Sam smiled as he watched his brother carry Alec to the water. He got in, but Alec clung to him like he was afraid of the water. Sam got up and walked over to where they were and got in the water too. There were still a lot of people in the pool, but now that Dean was there Alec decided it was ok now.

"Alec, can you swim to Uncle Sammy?" Dean asked him.

"Daddy, don't let go," Alec said.

"Ok baby, I won't let go," Dead said in amusement.

Alec swam over to him with Dean holding on the entire time. He picked him up and smiled when Alec yelled, "Did you see that Uncle Sammy?!"

"Wow! You're a good swimmer!" Sam replied. "Can you swim back to Daddy?" Alec nodded and swam back to Dean without any help at all. Dean picked him up and held him up high before he splashed back into the water.

"Alec, do you wanna know what would be really fun?" Dean asked.

"What?" Alec asked back.

"There are a bunch of little kids here and I'm sure they would love to play with you. Do you think that sounds fun?" Dean asked.

"Will you and Uncle Sammy play too?" Alec asked, his voice small.

"Maybe, but don't you wanna try it?" Dean asked. Alec still didn't look sure, so Dean pleaded, "For me?"

"Ok," Alec whispered.

Sam's mouth dropped open in shock. When he'd mentioned making new friends Alec had argued with him, but when Dean asked him to do it he didn't argue at all. Dean looked over at him and smirked when he saw his shock.

Dean walked over to the shallow end with Alec and played in the sprinklers with him for a while. Sam sat at the edge of the pool and watched as Dean found another little boy about Alec's age and played with both of them. Dean played and chased the boys around until Alec warmed up to the other boy and started playing with him. They splashed in the shallow water and ran through the sprinklers, chasing each other now that Dean was no longer with them.

Dean came back over to him and sat on the edge. "He should be ok now," Dean said. "Just takes him a while to warm up to people."

"How come he didn't argue with you?" Sam asked, sounding about as old as his nephew.

Dean shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe he got it all out when he argued with you."

"So, we're really gonna do this," Sam said. "We're gonna raise Alec, work on cars, go to school…we're gonna be normal."

Dean chuckled, "Yeah college boy, we're gonna be normal. I didn't think I would like being normal, but I love it. I love taking care of Alec. Every day it's somethin' new and he's so happy. I want him to be the happiest kid there ever was."

"Me too," Sam agreed. "You know, maybe we should take him to a theme park or something. He wouldn't be able to ride all the rides, but I think he'd have fun."

"And we should take him to a baseball game. I always wanted Dad to take us to a game when we were little," Dean said.

"We're gonna have to save up some money for all of this though," Sam said. "I think the college is hiring tutors, so I'm going to try to get that."

"And I'm going to help Bobby restore cars, so that's going to help," Dean said. "The problem is, I wanna get him some more clothes and more toys. Plus, we're gonna make up a room for him. My little boy's gonna cost us some money."

"But he's worth it," Sam said. He caught Alec's eye, and he quickly waved him over. "I'll be right back. Looks like Alec needs something."

"Go get him, tiger," Dean teased.

"Shut up," Sam grumbled, pushing Dean into the water. He ran before Dean could retaliate, and headed for his nephew. "Hey buddy, what's up?"

"Uncle Sammy," Alec whispered, motioning for him to come closer.

"Yeah buddy?" Sam asked, leaning down further.

"Can we go down the slide?" Alec asked.

"Sure! Does your friend wanna go too?" Sam asked, looking around for where Alec's new friend could be.

Alec shook his head no, "His Mommy said it was time to go."

"Ok, I'll take you down the slide," Sam said. He reached down and picked Alec up and headed for the slide.

"Uncle Sammy?"

"Yeah buddy?"

"What's a Mommy?"

"A Mommy's just like a Daddy, only she's a she," Sam explained, feeling like he was definitely failing at this. "Does that make any sense?"

Alec shrugged, "Does everyone have a Mommy?"

"Um, well buddy, um, most kids do have a Mommy," Sam hedged.

"Do I have a Mommy?" Alec asked.

Sam hesitated, but then replied, "No, you just have a Daddy."

"And Uncle Sammy," Alec said, poking his cheek.

Sam chuckled, "Yeah, and Uncle Sammy. Oh, and don't forget Grandpa Bobby."

Alec nodded and gave him a tight hug. "I love you Uncle Sammy."

Sam nearly dropped Alec in shock; love wasn't a word the Winchesters ever used. He knew Dean loved him, but he'd never heard his brother say it. Dean showed it all the time, but he never said it. And when Alec was older, he had a problem saying things like that too. He was shocked to hear it come so easily from his two-year-old nephew.

"I love you too, Alec," Sam finally replied, realizing that he needed to say it back. He held Alec close and walked the rest of the way to the small slide for little kids. Dean met them at the bottom and scooped Alec up as soon as he splashed into the water. Alec beamed when he realized his Daddy caught him and gave him a tight hug too.

* * *

Bobby chuckled to himself when he saw his boys passed out on his living room furniture. They had gotten back from the pool a couple hours ago, and they were wiped out. Dean was taking up the entire sofa with Alec tucked away beside him. Sam had his arms and legs hanging over the sides of the recliner, and he was snoring softly as he slept.

He shook his head and slowly started to pick up Alec's toys that were spread across the room. Well, all of his toys except his teddy, which he was holding onto as he slept, curled up against Dean's side.

He took the toys up to Dean's room and put them in the box they had found for them. He had started to make some things out in the shop for Alec's room, but he hadn't shown any of them yet. He knew Dean was worried about money, but he could make about half of what they needed. He'd built a frame for a bed and he'd started on a toy chest. He still wanted to make a nightstand and a dresser, but they would have to buy the rest for him.

He knew Dean didn't really want Alec to have a room since he liked having Alec sleep with him. But if they weren't going to look for a way to get Alec back to normal, then he would eventually need his own room. He wouldn't want to sleep with Dean forever, so they needed to be prepared.

Bobby slowly walked back down the stairs, but he stopped in the doorway of the living room. He saw Alec wake up and rub his eyes as he looked around. Alec didn't see him watching him, but he looked at Dean to see if he was really asleep. Alec carefully stood up and crawled over Dean and slid to the floor. The kid looked fairly suspicious, so he decided to follow him. He shouldn't walk around without supervision since they hadn't baby proofed the house yet.

Alec walked out of the room, his little legs carrying him to the study. Bobby continued to follow him, and he was glad he did. Alec headed straight for the door to the basement, where he knew he wasn't allowed to go. Luckily he was too little to reach the doorknob, but that didn't stop him from trying. He reached up and stood on tip-toes to try to get ahold of it, and he nearly fell with the effort.

"What d'you think you're doing?" Bobby growled, making Alec look up at him in panic.

"I'm sorry," Alec replied pitifully.

Bobby chuckled and shook his head, "You have your Daddy and your Uncle wrapped around your little finger." Alec cocked his head to the side, not understanding what he meant. "What were you up to?"

"I just wanna see down there," Alec said.

"Well, it's dangerous down there," Bobby said. "I'll take ya, but you can't go down here by yourself, ya hear?"

"Ok Grandpa," Alec said.

His heart warmed; he liked hearing baby Alec call him grandpa. "Alright, let me pick ya up," Bobby said. Alec ran over to him and he picked the little boy up. "But I'll tell ya, it's not that exciting down there."

"Why is it closed?" Alec asked.

"It's not safe for a little kid. There are things that could hurt you," Bobby tried to explain.

Alec gasped and hid his face against his shoulder. "I don't wanna go."

"What? Why? I'm with ya, so it's gonna be alright," Bobby said.

"Are there 'nomalies?" Alec asked.

Bobby frowned; he had no idea what a nomaly was and he was pretty sure he didn't want to know. "No, there ain't no 'nomalies down there. Just sharp things and heavy things. There's nothin' livin' down there."

"Ok," Alec whispered.

Bobby walked down the rickety stairs and showed Alec the dark basement. There really wasn't much down there, but some day he wanted to build a panic room just in case. He'd have to wait now since he had a grandson to look after. "See, it ain't that scary. Just dangerous for little kids."

"It smells funny," Alec said.

Bobby chuckled, "Yeah, well, most basements smell funny."

"Alec?!" He heard Dean's panicked voice come from the top of the stairs. "Alec, are you down here?"

"Sounds like your Daddy's lookin' for ya," Bobby said. "We're down here Dean!"

Dean instantly ran down the stairs and breathed out in relief when he saw Alec. The little boy reached out for Dean, who took him and held him against his chest. "I woke up and he wasn't there. I looked all over the house, but then I saw the door open and I panicked."

"Everythin's alright," Bobby reassured, trying to hide his smile. Dean usually tried to hide his worry, but with Alec he just couldn't. He was responsible for Alec now, and he was terrified of anything happening to his boy.

"Alec, you can't disappear like that," Dean said. "I was so scared that something had happened to you."

"I'm sorry Daddy," Alec whispered.

"It's ok baby," Dean replied.

"Let's go on back upstairs. We can start dinner or somethin'," Bobby suggested. Dean nodded in agreement and slowly walked back upstairs with Alec in his arms.

* * *

"Daddy?"

"Hmmm?" Dean hummed. He was so tired; Alec had way more energy than he did, and he could only keep up with his little boy for so long. He'd meant to take Alec up to bed a couple hours ago, but instead he'd fallen asleep on the sofa while Alec had been coloring.

"Daddy…" Alec climbed up on the sofa and crawled on top of him and whispered, "I'm scared."

Dean opened his eyes and wrapped his arms around Alec. "What?" Why was his little boy scared? He definitely should've taken him up to bed where he felt safe to sleep. What if he'd had a nightmare and he hadn't been there for him? Alec had to find him in the dark living room, and he'd been scared and all alone.

"I'm scared," Alec said again. Thunder shook the house suddenly and Alec trembled in his arms. He nearly sighed with relief. Alec hadn't had a nightmare, he was just scared of the thunder. He could fix this.

"Alec, it's ok, it's just thunder," Dean reassured. "It's not gonna get ya."

"It's loud," Alec whispered against his neck.

"I know, but it won't last forever," Dean said. "Just go to sleep and it'll be over before you know it." Thunder rumbled again, and Alec shook harder. "It's ok, baby…"

Dean held Alec closer and rubbed his back in soothing circles, "Uncle Sammy used to be scared of thunder too, but I promise it'll go away. Where's your teddy?"

Alec sniffled and fisted his hand in his shirt, "I don't know…"

"C'mon, we'll find your teddy," Dean said. He picked Alec up and held him against his chest as he walked around the house. He wasn't sure where Alec left his bear, but he would find it. He would do anything for Alec.

But walking around seemed to help Alec calm down. He liked moving and he liked being held close, so it helped. It actually helped so much that Alec actually dozed off against him. He continued walking and looking for Alec's teddy even though Alec was mostly asleep now.

He walked upstairs and looked around his room until he found Alec's bear behind his bed. "There he is," Dean whispered. "Now we can go to bed." He got into bed, still holding Alec close. He kissed Alec's forehead and closed his eyes.

But Alec squeaked in fear before he could fall asleep again as lightening lit up the room and the thunder quickly followed. It sounded even worse upstairs than it had downstairs.

"Daddy," Alec cried, tears hitting his shirt.

"Shh, it's ok baby," Dean soothed. Alec continued to cry though, and none of his tricks were helping. "Ok, ok, Daddy's gotcha," he reassured, standing up again. "Hold on to your teddy and we'll walk around again."

"Daddy, why is it so loud?" Alec whispered as he stood up.

"It's just how the weather is, baby," Dean said. He didn't want to try to explain it to his little boy, especially since he was exhausted. "Just try to go to sleep, ok? It'll be over before you know it."

But Alec didn't sleep. He would doze off and he'd lay down thinking that he could sleep when Alec would get scared and wake up again. It had even stopped storming, but Alec wouldn't sleep. He walked around the house over one hundred times and he was pretty sure he could pass out at any moment.

"Dean, what're you doing?" Sam asked, walking down the stairs. He looked to the clock in surprise and saw that it was actually seven in the morning. He'd stayed up the entire night.

"He couldn't sleep because of the storm," Dean replied, his voice rough.

"Did you sleep at all?" Sam asked. He walked over to him and reached out to take Alec and he gladly passed his little boy over.

"Maybe a couple hours before he got scared," Dean said. "He hasn't gotten much sleep either though since he would only doze off when we were walking."

"I'll keep an eye on him. You go get some sleep," Sam said.

"Watch out for when he gets grumpy," Dean said, still refusing to leave his little boy. "And if you have to, just bring him up since I think he'd actually sleep now that the sun's coming out."

"Dean, go get some sleep," Sam said with a small smile.

He didn't want to leave Alec, but if he could get a couple more hours then he'd be ready to go again. He ran his hand through Alec's hair and kissed his forehead. "Let me know when he wakes up, ok?" Dean asked, looking up at his brother.

"Alright, I'll let you know," Sam said.

* * *

Dean absentmindedly ran his hand through Alec's hair as he sat on his lap, playing with his teddy. Alec looked up at him every so often and he'd smile and Alec would go back to playing. It was still raining so they couldn't go outside to play, but it wasn't thundering so Alec didn't mind.

"Daddy, can I keep teddy forever and ever?" Alec asked him. He'd already asked him this a few times, but Alec kept thinking someone was going to take it away.

"Yeah baby, you can keep teddy forever," Dean automatically replied.

"Teddy was all alone at the store before we found him and now he has a home just like me," Alec said, playing with the little paws.

He kissed the top of Alec's head and reassured, "And we'll never let him go."

Alec stood up on his legs and turned to face him, putting his little hands on his shoulders. "Daddy, can we go outside and play?"

"No Alec, it's raining outside," Dean said, bouncing his legs up and down.

Alec giggled and held onto his shirt. "Daddy, when is it going to stop raining?"

Dean smiled and shook his head, "I don't know, kiddo, it could rain all day."

"Daddy?"

"Yeah baby?"

"Where's Uncle Sammy? Is he playing outside?" Alec asked.

Dean chuckled, "No Alec, Uncle Sammy isn't outside playing."

"Is Grandpa?" Alec asked.

Dean grabbed Alec and held him against the sofa, tickling him. "No, Grandpa's not outside either." Alec laughed and wiggled to try to get away from him. "And no outside time until it stops raining."

"Daddy!" Alec yelled, trying to get free. "Daddy stop!"

Dean laughed and picked Alec up again. "Stop? You don't want to be tickled?"

"No!" Alec yelled.

"Alright, give Daddy a kiss and we'll find something to do," Dean said. Alec threw his arms around his neck and gave him a sloppy kiss on his cheek, but before he could go anywhere he heard footsteps coming towards the living room.

"Dean," Sam said, quickly walking into the room. He had his phone in his hand and there was a sense of panic to his steps. Dean instantly went on alert and held Alec closer to himself. He didn't know what was wrong, but Alec was going to be kept safe no matter what.

"What is it?" Dean asked.

Sam sat down in the recliner and said, "We have a problem. Max just called."

"Did you answer?" Dean asked. He hadn't really thought about Max in all of this. Alec had been her boyfriend when he was older, but now he was two and he didn't want to tell her. And he didn't want to share his little boy. Max would want to see him and that could be a problem.

"No, but she left a message," Sam said. "She wants to talk to Alec. She's worried since she hasn't heard from him in a while and his phone goes straight to voicemail."

"I don't want to tell her," Dean whispered.

"Dean, we can't keep him hidden," Sam argued. "She's just going to keep calling and worrying about him if we don't tell her."

"Just not yet, ok? He's barely been with us a week. He still needs time to get used to things and I don't think it's a good idea to introduce him to a bunch of new people," Dean said.

"We should at least call her back and tell her everything's fine," Sam said. "Just tell her Alec's busy or sleeping or something."

"Daddy?"

"Yeah baby?"

"What's going on?"

"Nothin', everything's alright," Dean reassured, rubbing Alec's back. "Let's go find your car and make a racetrack."

"Ok!" Alec agreed.

Dean gave Sam one more look, and then picked Alec up and carried him upstairs.

* * *

 _More soon..._


	5. Chapter 5

_Thank you all for the wonderful reviews! They really mean a lot!_

* * *

"Ok boys, let's sit down and figure this out," Bobby said, leading the way to the kitchen.

Dean carried Alec and put him in his highchair. He gave him some crayons and his coloring book so he wouldn't be bored while they figured out what they were going to do during the week. They needed to make sure someone was always around to watch Alec, but they also needed to work and make money.

Sam came in carrying a big calendar, which he put on the table. He'd already written the three days a week he was going to be in class, and those days he was going to be late since he was going to work those days too.

"Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays I'll go to class and work," Sam said, his gaze locked on the calendar. "I can watch Alec on Tuesdays and Thursdays so you and Bobby can both work."

"You two should both be with him on Saturdays and Sundays. I'll catch up on a few things, but I'll be around on both those days so he can have everyone," Bobby said.

"I'd love to take him on Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays, but I don't wanna leave ya hangin' in the shop," Dean muttered.

"You take him on Wednesdays and Fridays," Bobby said. "I'll take him on Mondays, but we'll stick around the shop so he can be around you."

"Is that enough money?" Dean asked, trying to think if they would be able to make it with only working a few days a week.

"It'll have to be," Bobby said. "Someone's gotta watch him and it'd cost more to hire a babysitter or take him to a daycare."

"Not to mention the part where Dean wouldn't be able to handle that," Sam teased.

"Shut up," Dean grumbled. Sam was right, but he wasn't going to admit it.

"Daddy, can I have some juice?" Alec asked.

"Yeah baby," Dean said, walking to the sink. He grabbed Alec's sippy cup and filled it with juice before he brought it back over. He kissed the top of Alec's head as he gave him his sippy cup and asked, "Do you want any snacks?"

"No," Alec said. "Will you color with me?"

"In just a few minutes, ok? Daddy's gotta figure out a couple more things," Dean said, sitting down at the table.

"Ok Daddy," Alec said.

"Ok, so we've got the week figured out," Sam said, tapping the calendar. "Now we've gotta figure out some times we might be able to take him somewhere fun."

"I wanna for sure take him to the amusement park, a baseball game, and the ocean," Dean said. "I think we should take him to the park a couple times a week too."

"He's gonna make friends too," Sam said. "We'll have to figure out some playdates with the other parents when that happens."

"Boys, you're gettin' ahead of yourselves again," Bobby said.

Dean sighed, "Ok, what're we gonna do about Max?"

"She's called four times now," Sam said. "We've gotta tell her."

"We don't need to tell her. We just need to come up with a good excuse for what he could be doing," Dean said.

"If we tell her that he's hurt, then she's just going to come find us to make sure he's ok," Sam said.

"Maybe he took off?" Dean suggested. He didn't think it was a great excuse, but it might get her to stop calling.

"There's no way she's going to believe that," Sam argued. "If he took off, then he would've gone to the Valley to be with her."

"Bobby, you got anything?" Dean asked.

Bobby shook his head, "You have no idea how she's gonna react to this…For now, I think Alec needs to get used to his new routine with us. We can tell her something's happened, but he's not hurt. I wouldn't go into much details on what's goin' on, but Sam's right, you gotta give her somethin'. Once he's used to everything, then maybe we have her come to us."

Dean stood up and walked away from the table, thinking about all the ways Max could take the news about Alec. He still didn't want her to know, but he was getting out voted on this one.

"Alright, I'll call her," Dean finally said. He went back to Alec and kissed the top of his head, "I'll be right back, ok baby?"

"Ok Daddy."

He walked out of the room and slowly dialed Max's number. He sat down and ran his hand down his face as he waited for Max to answer.

"Dean? Is Alec alright?" Max asked, worry clear in her voice.

"Max…Alec's good," Dean said.

"Can I talk to him?" Max asked like it was obvious.

He took a deep breath, and then asked back, "Max, can you just trust me for a while?"

"What happened? Where is he?" Max asked quickly.

"Listen…something happened that's hard to explain. I'm not ready to explain it, but just trust me that he's good," Dean said.

It was silent on the other end for a long time. Long enough that he almost thought she had hung up. But then she asked, "How long do I have to take your word on this?"

"Give me some time, ok?" Dean practically begged.

"Dean-"

"I'll bring him to you when we're ready," Dean cut off. "That's the best I can do."

"You're 100% sure he's ok, right?" Max asked.

"100%," Dean agreed.

"I don't like it…but fine," Max said.

"Thanks Max," Dean said in relief. "I promise I'll bring him. Just trust me."

* * *

In the next two months they managed to get into a routine with Alec. He hadn't understood at first why they couldn't all be together every day, but then he picked it up and he only cried every so often when someone other than himself watched him.

They also got a room set up for Alec. He only used it to keep his toys in one place; he still slept with him every night, which secretly made him happy. He loved having Alec sleep with him and he was going to hate it when he got too big and wanted his own bed. But his room was cute with racecar sheets, just like he wanted, and Bobby had made the majority of the furniture in his room.

Max had called a few more times to check on them, but she didn't bring up his promise to bring Alec to her. He was going to at some point, but he wanted to find a way to prepare Alec for the other inhabitants of the Valley. Besides, Alec was so happy with how things were, he didn't want to mess that up.

"Daddy, look," Alec said, holding up his coloring book.

"That's awesome, Alec," Dean replied with a smile.

"The doggy is playing fetch, do you see?" Alec asked.

"Yeah baby, I see," Dean said. "Hey, if you drink the rest of your milk I'll take you to the park."

Alec dropped his coloring book and ran over to him. He picked him up and sat him on his lap before he handed him his little sippy cup. Alec leaned against him and drank his milk. He had him drinking two or three sippy cups of milk a day just in case. He was going to prevent Alec having seizures if it was the last thing he did.

"Daddy, can we go to the park now?" Alec asked, snuggling against him. Alec had figured out that he was cute and could get his way if he snuggled against them or if he used the puppy-dog eyes against them. They had started to pick up on it when he tried to get out of eating vegetables, so now they knew to double check to make sure he wasn't trying to get out of doing something.

"Let me see your sippy cup," Dean said.

"No, I'm not done yet," Alec said.

Dean chuckled, "Ok, we'll wait until you're done before we go to the park."

"But Daddy," Alec whined.

"No buts Alec," Dean said with a smile. "Drink it until it's all gone, and then we'll go."

Alec didn't argue with him after that. Alec would've argued with Sam still, but he would only argue with him for a minute. Dean didn't mind that Alec argued with them now; at least he didn't think he was going to get punished if he said something.

"Ok baby, you ready for the park?" Dean asked.

"Yeah!" Alec yelled.

He picked Alec up, tossing him up high and catching him again making him squeal with joy. Alec tipped back as far as he could in his arms until he was upside down. Dean moved his grip to Alec's little ankles and just carried him upside down to the car.

"Daddy! Daddy look!" Alec said, laughing.

"I see you!" Dean said. He got Alec right side up again and put him into his car seat.

"Alec, you gotta stop wiggling for a minute baby," Dean said. "I can't buckle you in if you keep wiggling."

"Daddy, can I sit with you?" Alec asked, giving him puppy-dog eyes.

"No, not until you're older," Dean said. "But I'll drive around Grandpa Bobby's yard with you after the park, ok?"

"Ok Daddy," Alec said, beaming at him.

"You wanna listen to some music?" Dean asked, knowing Alec loved listening to his music.

"Yeah!"

"Which on? You want Zeppelin?" Dean asked.

"Ramble on!" Alec yelled, kicking his little legs.

Dean nodded, "Ramble on it is." He popped his cassette into the player and turned it up. "Do you remember the chorus?" Dean asked as the song started.

"Yes," Alec said.

"Alright, here it comes," Dean said.

Alec concentrated, and then smiled and when it was time yelled, "Ramble on!" He mumbled a couple words, "Sing my song!" More mumbling. "On my way!" Dean smiled; Alec really only knew a few words and he was yelling more than singing, but his little boy was the cutest thing he'd ever seen. "Ramble on! Find ummm…of all my dreams!" The song continued, but Alec didn't know the words anymore.

"That was the best version of this song I've ever heard," Dean said when Alec looked at him expectantly.

"Daddy, sing with me," Alec said.

"How 'bout I fill in the blanks?" Dean asked.

"Ok!"

"Alright, here it comes again," Dean said.

"Ramble on!" Alec yelled right on time.

"And now's the time, the time is now," Dean sang.

"Sing my song!"

"I'm going 'round the world, I got to find my girl."

"On my way!"

"I've been this way ten years to the day," Dean filled in, trying not to laugh.

"Ramble on! Find-"

"The queen…"

"Of my dreams!" Alec finished, laughing and kicking his legs. "Again Daddy! Again!"

"Alright, here we go," Dean said, pulling out of Bobby's yard.

* * *

"Alright, go play with the other kids for a while," Dean whispered to Alec, kissing his cheek. They had been swinging for a long time; he was tired from pushing Alec as high as he thought was safe and Alec was looking over at the other kids to see what they were doing. Alec never liked playing with the other kids when they first got to the park. He would cling to him after he got him out of the car and would only play with the other kids after they played on the swings for a while.

"Ok Daddy," Alec said, taking off from the swings to the jungle gym with the other kids. Alec was a lot smaller than the other kids, but he liked playing with them and he could keep up with them when they played tag. Tyler, one of the older kids, watched out for him too.

"Dean! Come on over!" Karen called out to him.

Dean smiled at the other Moms and walked over to their little group. They'd asked him to join after they'd seen him and Alec a few times and Alec had decided he wanted to play with the other kids.

"No Uncle Sammy today? I thought he always came with you guys on Saturdays," Megan said.

"He needed to catch up on some sleep," Dean said. "Alec was super excited to see him last night and kept wanting to play games. Sam didn't get to sleep until Alec told him it was ok."

"Aww he's so adorable," Karen said, rocking her baby's carrier.

"Tell Sam we missed him," Stacy said.

"What's Grandpa Bobby up to today?" Karen asked.

Megan shook her head, "I never pictured Bobby Singer to be the grandpa type, but he and Alec are so cute together. You know, Bobby usually plays with the other kids. He gets to be the monster that chases them."

"Alec loves that game at home," Dean said.

The Moms continued talking, but he only half listened. His attention was really on the kids playing. He couldn't stop the worry the came up any time he wasn't around his little boy. He couldn't protect his baby if he wasn't around him.

"Dean, Tyler's going to have a birthday party next weekend and he wants Alec to come," Karen said. "We'd be more than happy if Sam and Bobby came too."

"Yeah, I think we could do that," Dean said with a nod.

"We have a pool, so make sure you bring your swim trunks," Karen said.

Dean smiled, but his smile quickly fell when he heard more than one scream of pain that broke into crying. He was on his feet and running before the other moms could even look over at the jungle gym.

Three kids were on the ground; two of them were crying and Alec was the third. Alec was bleeding and he was trying so hard to hold back tears. Dean wanted to shove the other kids off his little boy, but he was a parent now and he couldn't ignore his responsibility. Luckily, Tyler had gone to get the other kids' moms, so all he had to do was help them up before he finally got to pick up his baby.

"I'm here baby, I'm here," Dean whispered, holding Alec close. Alec was silently crying against his chest, and he could feel his baby's blood running onto his arms.

"Oh my God, Alec's bleeding! Is he ok?" Karen asked, holding her infant in her arms.

"He's ok," Dean said. "I'm gonna take him to the car to clean him up."

"Dean! Dean!" Tyler yelled, running up to him. "Is Alec ok?"

"Yeah buddy, he's ok," Dean reassured.

"I'm sorry," Tyler said, tears rolling down his cheeks. "I was watching him like I promised, but I didn't see Kayla and Cameron fighting. I saw them fall, but I didn't know Alec was on the other side. I promise I was watching him."

Dean immediately knelt down and pulled Tyler into a one-armed hug, "I'm not mad and Alec's gonna be ok. I'm going to clean him up and take him home. He's gonna get a big bowl of ice cream and he'll feel better in no time. He'll probably be back to the park in a couple days, ok?"

Tyler nodded, hiccupped, and asked, "Can he still come to my birthday party?"

"He wouldn't miss it," Dean said.

"Ok," Tyler said.

"Tyler, c'mere and let Dean take care of Alec," Karen said, calling her son over.

"Alec, I hope you feel better," Tyler whispered.

Alec sniffled, but he nodded so Dean stood up and took his little boy to the car. "Ok baby, I'm goona getcha cleaned up. I'm gonna clean up your cuts, put on some Band-Aids, and get you back to Grandpa's house. Then we're gonna eat ice cream and watch movies the rest of the day. How does that sound?"

"Good," Alec said, his voice thick with tears.

"Good," Dean said. He kissed the top of Alec's head and opened the trunk to get their first aid kit. He walked around and opened the driver's door and set Alec in his seat. "Ok, you get to sit in my seat while I look you over," Dean muttered. "You tell me if it hurts, ok?"

"O-ok," Alec said.

Dean looked his little boy over; he had a deep gash on his forearm, little cuts on his elbows, and another deep gash on the back of his head. "I'm going to clean you up at home, ok baby. You need some stitches and I want you to have Teddy when I put them in."

"Ok Daddy," Alec said.

Dean kissed Alec's forehead before he picked him up and carefully buckled him into his car seat. Alec was quiet the whole way home, and silent tears were running down his cheeks again by the time he parked.

"I'm sorry baby," Dean apologized, carefully unbuckling Alec from his car seat and picking him up. "I'm sorry…"

"My arm hurts," Alec said, his voice muffled against his chest.

"I know, I'm gonna make it better," Dean reassured. "Pretty soon you won't even remember getting hurt." He walked inside and went to the kitchen. There was better light in the kitchen for his stitches. "Sam!" He called out. "Sam, get down here! And bring Teddy!"

He got some towels and their heavy-duty first aid kit, and then went back to Alec. He very thoroughly cleaned the deep gash, which was the length of his tiny little arm.

"What happened?!" Sam asked in alarm, seeing Alec sitting in the chair with his bleeding arm in his hand. "Alec, are you ok?"

Alec barely nodded, but asked in a wobbly voice, "Can I have Teddy?"

"Yeah buddy," Sam quickly replied. He gave Alec his little teddy bear and rubbed his little shoulder. "Dean, what happened?"

"Alec, this is gonna hurt, ok baby?" Dean asked, making sure his little boy was ready. Alec nodded back so he gave Alec a shot to numb his arm. Alec winced just a little bit, but other than that he didn't show that it hurt. "There were two kids that fell on him," Dean said to Sam. He held Alec's hand as he waited for Alec's arm to numb. "I just don't know if we should take him to the hospital or not. He hit his head pretty hard…"

Sam moved and inspected the back of Alec's head. "I don't think it's as bad as when we first found him," Sam finally said, standing back up. "But if he throws up, then we need to go."

"You think he needs stitches, right?" Dean asked to make sure.

"Yeah, I think so," Sam agreed.

"What's with all the hollarin'?" Bobby asked, walking into the room. He stopped short when he saw Alec's blood. "What happened to my grandson?"

"Couple of kids fell on him at the park," Dean replied. He gently prodded Alec's arm and looked up at his little boy to see if he could feel it. Alec shook his head no, so he asked, "You ready for the stitches, baby?"

"Ok Daddy," Alec said, sniffling.

"Just focus on Uncle Sammy and Grandpa, ok? This will be over before you know it," Dean said.

Alec nodded and looked at Sam and Bobby. "You want some ice cream, buddy?" Sam asked. "Or a popsicle?"

Alec nodded again, so Bobby jumped into action to get it for him. "Which one, kiddo?" Bobby called out.

"Ice cream," Alec whispered.

"Ice cream," Sam relayed to Bobby. He looked back at Alec and asked, "Will you tell me one of Teddy's adventures?"

Alec sniffled again, but then said, "T-teddy was driv-driving Daddy's car, and…and he heard some little kids crying…"

Tears started falling down his cheeks again, making him stop. Dean felt terrible for causing his little boy more pain, but doing this at home was way better for Alec than taking him to the hospital. Sam rubbed Alec's back and asked, "What did Teddy do when he heard the little kids crying?"

"T-teddy stopped Daddy's car and r-ran over to the little kids. A b-bad guy was b-being mean to…to them and Teddy told the b-bad guy to stop," Alec said.

"What happened next?" Sam asked. Bobby handed him a bowl of ice cream, and then he slowly dipped out a spoonful for Alec.

Alec opened his mouth and let Sam feed him the spoonful before he said, "The bad guy didn't w-want to stop, so Teddy had to…he had to fight the bad guy." Alec stopped and opened his mouth again so Sam could give him another bite.

Sam shot him a quick smile and gave Alec some more ice cream. "Did Teddy win?"

Alec hummed a yes, and then said with his mouth full, "He kicked the bad guy's butt."

"Alec, don't talk with your mouth full," Dean said automatically.

"I'm sorry," Alec mumbled.

"It's ok," Sam said. "Were the little kids ok?"

"Yeah, they were ok," Alec said.

"That's good," Sam said with a smile.

Dean finished the last stitch and cleaned off Alec's little arm again. "Ok, that arm is done," Dean said, slowly wrapping his arm. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"No," Alec whispered.

"Now I've just gotta stitch up your head," Dean said.

It was a lot easier to patch up his baby after that. He had his ice cream and he got to tell all of his stories to Uncle Sam and Grandpa Bobby. He cleaned Alec up once he was done and carried him to the living room, with Sam and Bobby following close behind.

"Daddy, can we watch Ghostbusters?" Alec asked, his voice muffled again by his chest.

"Yeah baby, we can watch Ghostbusters," Dean said. He'd tried to show Alec kids' movies, but he didn't like them. His boy liked the movies that he liked, and more often than not they would fall asleep watching movies.

He popped in the movie and sat on the sofa so he could hold Alec. He kissed the top of Alec's head, and then Alec snuggled against him and closed his eyes.

Dean almost thought he was asleep when he mumbled, "Daddy?"

"Yeah baby?"

"Who ya gonna call?" Alec asked with a small, tired smile.

Dean brushed Alec's hair back and chuckled, "Ghostbusters." Alec smiled and fell asleep.

* * *

 _More soon..._


	6. Chapter 6

_Hey guys, I hope you all are liking the story so far! I'm going to introduce some characters from my other stories soon, but if you haven't read those, then don't worry. It should still make sense. Hope you all like it!_

* * *

"Daddy, where are we going?" Alec asked, looking up at him. He was packing Alec's toys, pullups, and clothes into his bag as Alec sat and watched him from the bed. Sam was packing snacks and making sure the impala was ready for their long trip while Bobby fortified the house.

"Well, we're gonna go see a friend, and then we're gonna go to the ocean. How does that sound?" Dean asked back.

"Can Teddy come?" Alec asked worriedly.

"Yeah baby, Teddy can come," Dean reassured. "All of your toys are coming."

"What's the ocean?" Alec asked, easily switching from worried back to curious.

"The ocean is kinda like the pool, only the water is salty and there are beaches instead of concrete," Dean explained, throwing a pile of his own clothes in the bag.

"Daddy, is it naptime?" Alec asked. He rubbed his eyes and grabbed his blankie that Bobby had bought for him.

Dean smiled and walked over to his little boy. He ruffled his hair and wrapped him up in the blanket. "You can take a nap if you want to," Dean said, kissing Alec's forehead.

"Will you take a nap too?"

"No, I've gotta keep packing," Dean said. "But you can take a nap without me."

"But I want you to nap too," Alec whined.

"I've gotta pack. And we've got a long ride ahead of us," Dean said.

"Is Uncle Sammy coming?" Alec asked.

"Yeah, Uncle Sammy's coming," Dean said, getting back to work.

"Is Grandpa coming?"

"Yeah, Grandpa's comin' too," Dean said.

"Daddy, can you pick me up?" Alec asked.

Dean chuckled, "Alec, you just sit tight, ok? I'll pick you up once I'm done packing."

"Daddy, I've gotta go potty," Alec said.

He couldn't tell if Alec was telling the truth or not. Alec wanted to be picked up and for him to pay attention to him, but he might actually need to go to the bathroom. "Ok," Dean said, picking Alec up from the bed and setting him on the floor. Alec reached up though, trying to get him to carry him. His little lip wobbled like he was about to cry; he sighed and picked Alec up again. Alec snuggled against his neck, which made him really think Alec was lying and that he just wanted attention. He took Alec to the bathroom and sat him on the toddler seat of the toilet. "Ok baby, go potty."

"I don't think I have to go," Alec said.

"Well, you need to try. We're going to leave in a few minutes," Dean said.

"Can I have a snack?" Alec asked.

"Not until you go potty," Dean bargained.

Alec finally went, so he took him downstairs after he washed his hands.

"Grandpa!" Alec yelled when he spotted Bobby. He wiggled to be free, so he quickly set him on the ground again. "Grandpa! Grandpa!" Alec ran towards Bobby, who beamed and wrapped Alec into a big bear hug as soon as he slammed into him.

"Hey you little rascal," Bobby growled. "How's my favorite grandson?"

"Grandpa, I'm your only grandson," Alec said, giggling.

"You're still my favorite," Bobby said.

"Daddy, can I play with Grandpa?" Alec asked, looking up at him with his puppy-dog eyes.

Dean chuckled, "As long as Grandpa's ok with it."

"Please Grandpa," Alec begged, turning his sad eyes to Bobby.

Bobby hesitated to tease Alec, but then said, "Yeah, alright, I'll take the little stinker off your hands for a bit."

"I don't stink," Alec said, affronted.

Dean shook his head in amusement and started for the stairs, "I'll be down as soon as I finish packing."

"Take your time," Bobby said dismissively. "I think me and Alec are gonna go look for the basement monster again."

He stopped and turned back, "Bobby, no basement monster. That game gives him nightmares."

"No it doesn't," Alec argued.

"Play horsy," Dean suggested.

"Yeah Grandpa! Horsy!" Alec yelled in excitement.

Bobby glared at him, but he made his escape and ran back upstairs. It was a lot easier to pack when he didn't have Alec asking him questions every two seconds. And he didn't have to keep one eye on his little boy, trying to keep him out of trouble.

He packed the rest of their things in just a few minutes, but he sat down on the bed once he was done. He just wanted one moment to himself before he went on the longest road trip of his life. He couldn't just drive straight to Seattle like he usually would. Alec would need bathroom breaks and rest stops. Little boys couldn't be cooped up in a car for that long, so he'd have to make multiple stops. It would take two days at least to get to Seattle, but it didn't get better from there.

Once they were in Seattle, he'd have to explain this to Max and everyone else in Freak Valley. He would also have to explain everyone in the Valley to Alec since he wouldn't know what was going on or who those people were. On top of all that, Alec turned into the shyest kid in the whole world when he met new people, which would make him tense and scared for the majority of their stay.

Once they got through meeting everyone and getting Alec used to everything, then it wouldn't be so bad. He was going to take Alec to the ocean, which was going to be fun, and they were going to start back after that. They planned on stopping at an amusement park on the way to break up the trip back, so he just had to make it through the first half of the trip before it got to be fun. He knew that once Alec decided he was having fun, then he would too.

"Dean, hey, what're you doing?" Sam asked, peeking in his room.

"Sorry, I'm ready," Dean said. He stood up, but Sam shook his head and walked further into his room.

"Dean, this is gonna be ok. Max will listen to us and Alec will warm up to everyone once he gets used to it. Besides, everyone loves Alec. He's the cutest little kid in the world and we're gonna do a ton of fun stuff on the way there and on the way back," Sam tried to reassure.

"I just needed a minute, that's all," Dean said. "I know Alec's gonna have fun, and that means I'll have fun."

"I know the ride's gonna suck, but Alec always tells you when he has to go to the bathroom," Sam said.

"He hasn't gone on a trip this long since we got him…I don't know how well he's gonna do," Dean muttered.

"You know he's gonna do great. When he gets tired of riding, he'll let us know and we can pull over and let him run around a little," Sam said.

"You're right," Dean said with a nod. He was freaking out for no reason. Alec was his little boy, and his little boy was the best thing in his life, in the whole world. Alec was going to have fun, and even though he was going to be scared for a while, at least he'd get to hold him and try to comfort him.

"C'mon, I think Bobby's knees are about to give out from playing horsy all around the living room," Sam said.

Dean chuckled and nodded again. "He wanted to play basement monster, but I suggested horsy."

"We need to ban basement monster," Sam said, shaking his head. "That game gives Alec nightmares."

"I know, but Bobby's gonna kill me for suggesting horsy," Dean muttered.

* * *

"And then Uncle Sammy fell into the creek!" Alec yelled excitedly. "He fell right in! And then he made that mad growly face that he makes. But then he laughed. He looked really funny all wet with his clothes on."

"And that's your favorite memory of Uncle Sammy?" Dean asked with a smile. Alec was keeping him company while Sam and Bobby slept. They'd been driving for a long time, but Alec still hadn't taken a nap. He was too excited to sleep, but he knew his little boy was going to be wiped out by the time they stopped.

"Yeah," Alec said.

"What about Grandpa?" Dean asked. "What's your favorite memory about him?"

"When Grandpa chased me around," Alec replied. "He couldn't catch me and it was really fun."

"What's your favorite memory of me?" Dean asked curiously.

"Daddy I can't choose!" Alec yelled. "I like them all!"

"You like them all?" Dean asked with a smile.

"Yes!" Alec said, kicking his little legs. "I like bath time and swimming and playing at the park. And I like nap time and snacks and everything. I love you Daddy!"

Dean chuckled, "I love you too, Alec." Tears had jumped up to his eyes, but he quickly blinked them away. It made him ridiculously happy to hear Alec say all of that. He felt so warm inside, and he wanted to pull over and hug Alec as tightly as he could to prove to him how much he loved him.

He cocked his head to the side; why couldn't he do that? He was driving, and he could do whatever he wanted. They'd been driving for a long time anyway, so maybe Alec needed a break. Sam and Bobby could keep sleeping and it could just be him and Alec for a few minutes.

"Daddy, what are we doing?" Alec asked as he pulled over.

He parked and got Alec out of his car seat and said, "We're takin' a little break, just me and you."

Alec threw his arms around his neck and snuggled against him. "What about Grandpa and Uncle Sammy?"

"They're still tired, so we're gonna let them sleep some more," Dean said.

"Daddy, are you tired?" Alec asked.

"No baby, I'm not tired," Dean said.

"Can I ride on your shoulders?" Alec asked.

"Sure thing, kiddo," Dean said, moving Alec to his shoulders. "I think there's a lookout right over here…" They were still in South Dakota, right on the edge of the Badlands. Alec liked looking out the window when they drove, so he'd probably like this. They were in a valley right now, but if he walked up a fairly steep hill, then they would be able to see it.

He bounced as he walked to make Alec giggle. Hearing Alec's giggle was the best sound in the world. That, and hearing him say Daddy.

"What are we looking at?" Alec asked curiously.

"They're called the Badlands," Dean replied.

"Is it where the bad guys live?" Alec asked, a tremor of fear in his voice.

Dean chuckled and shook his head no. "No Alec, it's not where the bad guys live. It's just a bunch of rocks that look cool."

"Is it scary?" Alec asked.

"No, it's not scary," Dean said.

He climbed up the last few feet, and then they could see a wide stretch of the Badlands. They were incredible to see, and Alec gasped at the sight. He'd never seen so much space. Dean got Alec off of his shoulders and held him against his chest, but so he was facing outward.

"Wow…" Alec breathed out.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Dean asked, kissing the side of Alec's head.

"Daddy, can we live here?" Alec asked.

Dean laughed, "No baby, we can't live here. There are no houses here."

"Why not?" Alec asked.

"Well, um…" He looked around to try to come up with a good answer. Alec asked so many questions, and he didn't always have the answer, but if he could find something else to talk about then Alec would move on to that. "Alec, look!" He said, pointing to the big horned sheep he'd spotted.

"Whoa! What is it?" Alec asked, his eyes wide.

"It's a big horned sheep," Dean said. "See the horns?"

Alec nodded, "It's all curly."

"Yeah it is," Dean agreed.

They watched the sheep for a long time before he finally decided it was time to go. Sam and Bobby were still asleep when they got back, and Alec only argued a little bit when he buckled him back into his car seat. Alec didn't want to leave, but he decided it was ok when he told him they were going to see a lot of other cool things.

* * *

He was in his own little world as he drove. Dean and Bobby were both asleep and Alec was being quiet, just watching the country side go by. Dean had stayed awake for a long time before driving and worrying about Alec had taken the rest of his energy. They had made some good progress, but they were still going to have to stop for the night somewhere.

He knew his brother was worried about how Alec was going to react to the others at Freak Valley, but they couldn't keep Alec hidden. Max needed to know what happened to him even if she didn't agree with their decision to raise him. But once she saw Alec and saw how happy he was, Sam knew she would come around to what they had decided to do. Alec could win anyone over; he was so cute, it was impossible not to instantly love him.

But Dean worried so much more now that Alec was his kid. When he was with Alec, he was fun and almost lighthearted, even though he was way more protective now. When Alec was asleep or with someone else, he could see his brother's worry. Dean worried about money and making sure Alec was happy. He worried about the supernatural finding them and how to keep Alec safe. He even worried about Alec getting older and going to school even though that was still a few years off. If Dean would just relax a little, then maybe he'd have fun on this trip too. He knew everything was going to work out; Alec would be scared for a little while, but then he'd be fine.

A small whimper suddenly came from the backseat, making him look up in surprise. He thought maybe Alec had fallen asleep without him knowing, but he saw Alec was still awake when he looked back at him.

"What's wrong, buddy?" Sam asked softly.

Alec didn't answer, but he pulled at the safety belts across his little chest and whimpered again. His cheeks were flushed and he wiggled in his seat.

"Do you have to go potty?" Sam asked. Usually Alec told them when he had to go, but maybe he was being difficult since it was him instead of Dean.

But Alec shook his head and pushed on his safety belts again. He whined and tears slowly fell down his cheeks. Something was obviously wrong, so he shook Dean's shoulder and lightly hit his chest.

"Wha'?" Dean slurred, refusing to wake up.

"Something's wrong with Alec…I'm not sure what it is and he's not talking to me," Sam said. He knew his brother would wake up since it had something to do with Alec.

And he was right. Dean shot up and immediately looked back at Alec. "Hey baby, what's wrong?" Dean gently asked.

"Daddy…" Alec cried, reaching for Dean.

Dean quickly unbuckled and climbed over the bench seat to be with Alec. "I'm right here," Dean reassured. "Did you have a bad dream?"

"No," Alec said. He pushed against the straps and whimpered again.

"What's going on?" Bobby asked. He must have woken up when Dean had climbed over the seat.

"Sam, find somewhere to stop for the night," Dean said, slowly unbuckling Alec. "He needs to stop. I think he's done riding for the day."

"Dean, you need to keep him in his car seat. It's not safe for him to be unbuckled," Sam said.

"Shhh, it's ok," Dean soothed, ignoring him and holding Alec against his chest.

"Dean, Sam's right. If we wreck, then he's gonna be hurt worse than if he had been in his car seat," Bobby said, trying to make Dean see reason.

"Then don't wreck," Dean growled.

"How far is it to the next town?" Bobby asked.

"Maybe 20 more miles," Sam said. "It might be less though…" Alec had calmed down a little bit since he was snuggled against Dean's chest, but they still had a little ways to go. He hoped he could make it that long.

"Did you just get tired of riding?" Dean asked Alec, running his hand through his hair.

Alec nodded, "And th-the things were t-too tight…"

"The straps?" Dean asked.

"Uh huh," Alec said. "Th-they were like the b-bad place."

"Ok baby, we're gonna stop soon," Dean reassured, giving Alec a kiss on his forehead. "Sam, get some food before you find a motel."

"Alright," Sam agreed. Right now, it was just easier to agree with Dean.

"We're gonna eat, and then I'll give you a bath and we'll go to bed," Dean said, focusing on Alec again.

"Ok Daddy," Alec whispered.

"You want me to get his blankie out?" Bobby asked him. They had moved Dean's bag to the backseat so they would have access to Alec's toys in case he wanted them. "Or Teddy? I think he's around here somewhere. He was plain' with him earlier before he dropped him."

"Yeah, see if you can find Teddy," Dean said.

Alec calmed down enough after they found Teddy that they could make it to the next town and get food before they stopped at a motel. Alec ate his kid's meal without complaint and he eagerly took a bath when Dean said it was time.

He was dressed in his dinosaur pajamas with his hair damp and snuggled against Dean's chest once they were done. He looked so cute, and he was a lot happier now that they had stopped. Dean must have nailed it when he guessed that Alec was tired of riding.

"We've got another long day of driving tomorrow," Sam pointed out when Dean sat next to him.

"I know," Dean whispered. "But we'll stop more tomorrow."

"Did you ever call Max to tell her we were coming?" Sam asked.

Dean shook his head no, "I don't know what to tell her. I just thought we'd show her since I can't explain it."

"I guess we'll figure something out tomorrow," Sam said.

Dean stood up and walked over to one of the beds. Bobby was already passed out on the sofa, and Sam knew he was going to turn in soon too. "It's gonna be a long day tomorrow…"

"It'll get better though," Sam tried to reassure.

* * *

Dean tapped the steering wheel and bit his lip as he rolled into Freak Valley. He'd been stressing about this all day, but he couldn't put it off any longer. The only thing he had going for him was the fact that Alec was actually asleep in his car seat. He might be able to explain this to Max before he woke up and saw something that scared him.

"Dean, relax," Sam said, seeing him freaking out.

"You're gonna wake up your boy if you keep this up," Bobby said. "He knows when you're nervous and he wants to help."

"I'm fine," Dean growled. He pulled in past the gate and slowly rolled into the garage. He didn't need his family to tell him to calm down; he already knew it, but it wasn't helping. He got out after he parked and unbuckled his little boy from his car seat. He actually did relax once he was holding Alec again. He could protect his little boy this way if he woke up.

"Better?" Sam asked with a small smirk.

"Shut up," Dean grumbled. Alec slept soundly against his chest, and he couldn't help but smile seeing his little face relaxed in sleep. He wanted to just drive to the ocean and forget about all this, but Sam was right, Max deserved to know.

Sam led the way to Command and knocked on the door. Dean's heart was racing by the time Max finally answered. Dean couldn't tell if she was already in a bad mood or if she was really just that mad to see them show up out of nowhere.

"You guys couldn't call?" Max asked angrily when she saw them. "I've been waiting for months to see you guys and I haven't heard-" She stopped suddenly when her eyes landed on Alec sleeping in his arms. "When did you get a kid?" She asked in confusion.

"Well, that's kinda why it took so long," Dean hedged.

"Where's Alec?" Max asked, straining to see over their heads, trying to catch a glimpse of him.

"Max," Sam said softly to get her attention again.

Sam looked back at him, letting him take the lead. He cleared his throat, looked down at Alec and said, "Max, this is Alec."

* * *

 _More soon..._


	7. Chapter 7

"Max, this is Alec," Dean said, looking down at his little boy sleeping in his arms.

Max frowned, "You named your son Alec. That's pretty weird don't you think?" She looked around again, waiting for her Alec to pop up out of nowhere while he and Sam shared a look. "Seriously, where's Alec? Did he not come with you?"

"Max, can we go somewhere to talk?" Sam asked gently. "We've got a lot to tell you…"

"Where the Hell is Alec?" Max asked, edging towards hysterical, her voice steadily rising. "You said he was ok, so where is he?"

"Calm down, you're gonna wake him," Dean hissed. His arms tightened around Alec and he held him closer. He wasn't sure how freaked out Max was going to get before they went somewhere else, but he didn't want Alec to wake up and get scared.

"Dean, do you think we should go to the house and put him down for his nap?" Sam asked him.

He shot a glare to Max and said, "If you keep yellin' we'll have to."

"If we go somewhere, you'll tell me where Alec is?" Max asked.

Dean sighed, but nodded, "Yeah, we'll tell you everything."

"Ok, we'll go to your place. Mine's a mess right now and not really set up for a baby," Max said, giving Alec a slightly repulsed look.

He was having huge second thoughts about this entire trip, but he couldn't take off now. They were already in too deep, so he'd just have to try to convince her that his Alec was also her Alec.

"Dean, you want me ta put him down while you all talk?" Bobby asked him as they walked to the house they usually stayed in when they visited.

"No, I want him with me," Dean said, shooting a side glance to Max who was walking beside him. She kept looking around for her Alec, and she was completely avoiding looking at his Alec. "Did we bring his blankie though?"

"Yeah," Bobby said, holding out Alec's blankie, sippy cup, and Teddy. Bobby had come prepared.

"Grandpa Bobby for the win," Dean teased. Alec probably wasn't cold, but he loved his blankie; he liked feeling the soft material against his skin and it made him feel safe. He carefully wrapped Alec up in his blanket, and then held onto his Teddy and sippy cup for later. They were going to have to get juice or milk from the Mess later, but until then Alec could drink some water.

"Just lookin' out for my little grandson," Bobby said.

"Who's his mom?" Max asked, sounding reluctant, but curious enough to ask.

"Max, this is Alec," Dean said again. "I don't know who his mom is any more than you know who your mom is."

Max huffed, "Fine don't tell me, but you didn't have to bring my mother into this."

"Max, you're not listening," Dean said. "This. Is. Alec."

Max rolled her eyes and walked further ahead. Bobby nudged him and said, "Best wait 'til we're inside."

"How am I gonna explain this to her?" Dean whispered.

"Just tell her what happened," Bobby suggested. "You can't make her believe ya."

"She doesn't even like my Alec," Dean muttered, offended by the way she'd looked at his boy.

"Dean, let him work his magic. He is the cutest kid and he'll easily win her over when he wakes up," Bobby reassured. "Besides, she's gonna be pissed at ya for not tellin' her sooner, so you might want to let her be mad for a bit."

"As long as she's not mad at Alec, then I don't care," Dean said.

Sam held the door open for them, and Dean immediately headed for the sofa just in case Alec wanted to lie on the cushions. But he knew Alec would want to stay with him if he woke up. He was in a new place and there was a new person here; he was going to be shy and hide against him until he figured out the new situation.

Sam sat next to him on the sofa to give him support and Max and Bobby took up the two recliners. Max looked at him expectantly, but he really didn't know how to tell her everything that had happened.

Luckily, Sam knew him and he knew he was lost. "Max," Sam started. "I know it doesn't seem possible, but this Alec is the real Alec."

"You're right, that's not possible," Max said.

"We were hunting, but we didn't think the place was actually haunted," Dean said. "We split up to search the house, and we just found him like this."

"So I'm supposed to believe that something turned my boyfriend into a 3-year-old?" Max asked in disbelief.

"We actually think he's 2…" Dean muttered under his breath.

"It doesn't matter!" Max yelled. He pulled Alec closer and glared at Max. "Why didn't you try to change him back?! What the Hell are you doing?!"

"Daddy?" Alec asked sleepily.

"Hey baby, everythin's alright," Dean reassured.

"Daddy…what's going on?" Alec asked, slowly walking up. He saw that he was in a new place and it scared him.

"We're at my friend's place," Dean said. "Uncle Sammy and Grandpa are here too." Alec hid his face against his chest just like he expected him to. "Do you want Grandpa to go put you down in another room? You can nap some more, and then we'll find some food when you wake up. How does that sound?"

"No Daddy," Alec mumbled against him. "I wanna stay with you."

"Ok baby," Dean whispered, kissing the top of Alec's head.

Alec stayed where he was hiding against him, his little first holding onto his shirt. Max was looking at him, but he couldn't tell what she was thinking. She still looked mad, but she looked like she was sad too.

"Max, I know this doesn't make sense," Sam said. "But…once you see how happy he is-"

"You think I'm just going to accept this?" Max asked. "He used to be my boyfriend. Now someone has to change his diapers and feed him and I don't even know what else."

"He's not helpless," Dean said. "He can go to the bathroom and feed himself just fine."

"He's a baby now. He's not my Alec," Max said.

"Well, you better get used to it. We don't know how to change him back and I'm not looking for a way to change him," Dean said. "He's my little boy and there's nothin' that's gonna take that away."

"He used to be your little brother," Max spat.

"I'm going to take a walk," Dean suddenly said, standing up with Alec in his arms. He dropped Alec's blanket and Teddy, but he kept Alec's sippy cup with him. He couldn't listen to this anymore. He didn't know how to convince Max that this was a good idea and he didn't want to argue with her. Alec didn't need to listen to this either and he was probably thirsty.

He walked out without looking back. Sam and Bobby were still in there with Max, so maybe they would find a way to convince her.

"Daddy?"

"Yeah baby?"

"Was she a princess?" Alec asked. His little boy looked up at him with his big green eyes; he liked action movies, but Dean had slipped some kid's movies in there too. Alec would get excited and jump around in Aladdin when the Genie was on and he knew all the words to The Little Mermaid. He was also in love with Belle and thought she was the prettiest princess in the world. And Max sort of looked like Belle with her brown hair and brown eyes, so he could see where Alec got the idea that she was a princess.

Dean chuckled, "No, she's not a princess."

"Oh…"

"Did you think she was a princess?" Dean asked.

"She was really pretty," Alec whispered.

"Yeah, but she's not a princess," Dean said. "She's a real pain in the butt actually."

Alec giggled, "Daddy, you said butt."

"I know I did," Dean laughed.

"Why was she mad?" Alec asked.

"Well, she doesn't agree with some of the choices I've made," Dean said. "I made some choices that affect her too, but I didn't ask her what she thought before I decided."

"Oh…"

"But we're gonna let her cool off a bit. We're gonna find some juice and maybe a snack, and then we'll see how she's doin'," Dean said.

"Apple juice?" Alec asked.

"I hope so! Apple juice is your favorite, so they better have some," Dean said, tickling Alec's tummy.

Alec giggled and tried to tickle him back. He held Alec up high though, so he couldn't reach. "Daddy!" Alec yelled. "Daddy, put me down!" He dipped Alec as low as he could, and Alec giggled and squealed with laughter. "Daddy no!"

"Daddy yes!" Dean replied, bringing Alec back up and holding him again. "I'm your Daddy and I can do what I want."

"Daddy," Alec whined.

"Ok, ok," Dean relented. "Let's go get some juice."

He walked to the Mess, but he froze when he saw that there were quite a few people in there. He forgot that more than just Max lived here.

"Dean!" He turned and saw that Rocky was coming towards him. His eyes widened when he saw Alec and he asked, "Who's this?" Alec squeaked and quickly hid his face against his neck.

His heart pounded, but he said, "Um, this is Alec…"

Rocky frowned, "What?"

He took a deep breath and said, "This is Alec."

"Really? 'Cause the Alec I knew was a little over six foot tall and wasn't too keen on being carried," Rocky said.

"Something happened and now he's a kid," Dean said as fast as he could. "He's my son."

Rocky was silent for a minute, but then nodded, "Well he sure is cute. Look how little he is!"

Dean chuckled, "Yeah, he is cute. Cutest kid on the planet actually."

"He's shy," Rocky said, turning his head to try to catch Alec's eye. Alec was peeking out at Rocky every so often, but he'd hide again as soon as Rocky looked at him. "Wouldn't expect him to be so shy."

"He'll warm up to you after a while," Dean said. "He's just shy at first."

"How old is he?" Rocky asked.

"Twoish," Dean said, rubbing Alec's back. "Do you guys have apple juice? It's his favorite."

"Yeah, follow me," Rocky said. "And I think we found some pudding the other day. Can he have some of that?"

"He loves pudding," Dean said, following Rocky to the food line. Rocky grabbed a bowl and a spoon and plopped a big serving of pudding into the bowl. Dean's eyes widened with the amount, but he didn't say anything. He usually only gave Alec a little bit of pudding so he wouldn't be so energized. Sam would throw a fit though if he saw this. Alec usually only got this much pudding when Bobby was in charge.

"Wow!" Alec said, seeing the pudding. "Is that all for me?"

"We're gonna share," Dean said quickly. "That's a lot of pudding, isn't it?"

"I think I could eat it all," Alec said matter-of-factly.

"We'll see," Dean said.

Rocky chuckled and led them over to a drink area. "Here's the apple juice. We also have milk, water, tea, Gatorade, and some soda but not a lot."

Dean maneuvered Alec so he could pop the top off of his sippy cup, and then carefully filled it up. He handed it to Alec once he got the lid on again, and Alec immediately started drinking it.

"So this is really Alec?" Rocky asked as they sat down.

"It's really him," Dean said, sitting Alec on his lap and giving him the spoon. He pulled the pudding closer so Alec wouldn't get it all over his clothes. Alec was staring at Rocky though; he was out of his hiding spot, but he didn't seem as scared as he had been. Rocky had given him pudding, so that made him ok.

"Daddy?" Alec asked, putting his sippy cup on the table.

"Yeah?"

Alec waved him closer, so he leaned down some so Alec could whisper in his ear. "Who is that?"

"That's Rocky," Dean said. "He's another friend of mine."

Alec's eyes lit up, "Like the boxer?"

Dean chuckled, "Yeah, like the boxer."

"He looks like a boxer," Alec said.

Dean looked up at Rocky and saw that he was smiling. "We watched Rocky recently," Dean said. "He really likes movies."

"He always did," Rocky said.

Alec took a big bite of pudding, and then looked up and smiled at him real big. He chuckled seeing Alec's teeth covered in pudding. "Alec! What are you doing?"

Alec swallowed the pudding and asked, "Were my teeth all dirty?"

"Yeah, they looked disgusting," Dean said.

"Good!" Alec said. He took another big scoop and stuffed it in his mouth.

"Alec, smaller bites," Dean said, running his hand through his hair.

Alec scowled and stuffed another big bite in his mouth. "But I like it," Alec said with his mouth full.

"And don't talk with your mouth full," Dean said, trying to hide his smile.

"He's so cute," Rocky said. "Where can I get one?"

Dean laughed, but then said, "I don't even know how it happened, but I don't know what I'd do without him now."

Rocky nodded, "Fatherhood suits you."

"Max doesn't think so," Dean mumbled.

Rocky's eyebrows rose in surprise, "I guess she didn't take this well?"

"Alec's her boyfriend and she doesn't want him to be a two-year-old," Dean said.

"It'll just take some time. She'll love him once she sees how cute he is," Rocky said.

"Daddy, can we go play outside?" Alec asked.

"After you finish eating," Dean said, running his hand through Alec's hair.

"You know what you should do," Rocky said. "You should go see Gem and baby Eve. I don't know much about babies, but she's bigger than she used to be. She might be able to play with Alec."

"Daddy?"

"Yeah baby?"

"Can Rocky play too?" Alec asked.

Dean glanced up at Rocky and said, "He wants you to play too…"

"Of course I'll play," Rocky said with a wide smile.

Alec finished his pudding and they ran outside once he was done with his juice. He put his little boy down, who immediately started running.

"Chase me!" Alec yelled.

He went after Alec, but his boy ran to Rocky and hid behind his legs. Rocky laughed and grabbed Alec, making him squeal. He wiggled his way free and took off again, running between him and Rocky. Alec would slow way down so he would catch him, just so he could get free again.

Alec looked back at him as he ran, so he didn't see Mole until he hit his legs and fell back on his butt. His little boy looked up at the lizard man and gasped. Mole looked down at Alec and growled at him.

"Who the Hell are you?" Mole asked.

Alec's eyes were wide and his voice was tiny as he replied, "My name's Alec."

Dean started forward so he could intervene before this got further out of hand. He hadn't wanted Alec to meet Mole until the last possible second, but that didn't work.

Mole crouched down and cocked his head to the side, "Y'know, I know someone else named Alec, but he's a pain in the ass and he's a lot bigger than you."

"You said a bad word," Alec whispered. "Daddy said you're not supposed to say that word."

"What word?" Mole asked. "Ass?"

Alec giggled and nodded. He hesitated before he asked, "Why does your face look funny?"

"You think my face looks funny? What's wrong with my face?" Mole asked, trying to hide his smile.

"It's all bumpy," Alec said. He reached out to touch Mole's face, but Mole pretended to bite at him, making him quickly pull away and giggle. Dean slowed down, and decided to watch how this played out.

"Those are scales, kid," Mole said. "You ever seen a life-sized lizard before?" Alec shook his head no, so Mole said, "Well, you're lookin' at one."

"Do you have a tail?" Alec asked curiously.

"Do I look like I've got a tail?" Mole growled.

Alec giggled instead of backing away and said, "No."

"Then I don't have a tail," Mole said.

"But lizards have tails," Alec said.

"Do I look like a lizard or not?" Mole grumbled.

"Yeah," Alec said.

"Then I'm a lizard," Mole said.

Alec nodded his ok, and then asked, "Do you want to play tag?"

"Depends," Mole said. "Who's it?"

Alec smiled and hit Mole's arm, "You're it!"

Alec jumped up and started to run, but he looked back to make sure Mole was following him. Dean smiled when Mole ran after him. Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea after all. Max still didn't like Alec, but his little boy wasn't as afraid as he thought he'd be and so far he seemed to be having fun. Maybe this would be good.

* * *

Max didn't know what to think; one minute she had a boyfriend and the next, her boyfriend was a two-year-old child. She didn't understand why Sam and Dean didn't even try to get him back. Alec was their brother, and they should want to get him back to normal. She was mad at Dean and Sam, and she was even mad at Alec.

Obviously it wasn't Alec's fault, but she didn't like this situation. She wanted her boyfriend back. Sam and Bobby had tried to convince her that Alec was happier now and that if she gave it a chance she would see that. They went on and on about how cute he was and how happy he made everyone, but she didn't care. They didn't even tell her what was going on. She didn't get any say in how they were going to handle this, which was the worst part.

She had left Sam and Bobby after she'd gotten tired of what they were saying. She was looking for Dean now, so she could try to talk some sense into him. She'd found Rocky, who was pro-baby Alec, and he'd told her where to find them.

She was in front of Gem's house, but she was working up the nerve to knock. She didn't want to see Alec as a baby, but she did want to start convincing Dean. She finally knocked, and Gem let her in a few minutes later. Gem was holding her sleeping baby in her arms when she let her in, but she smiled and led her further into the house.

She froze when she saw Dean holding Alec in the rocking chair, both of them fast asleep. They weren't cute. They weren't. She had to keep telling herself that so she wouldn't cave right then and there. She wouldn't let baby Alec change her mind even if he looked just like what their kid would look like if they ever started a family. She wanted Alec as her boyfriend, not a baby.

"They're cute, huh?" Gem asked, taking a seat on the sofa.

Max huffed, and sat down with her arms crossed over her chest. "If you like that sort of thing…"

Gem smiled, "I guess you don't like baby Alec?"

"I want my Alec," Max said, pouting.

"Max, I hate to disagree with you, but you haven't seen him," Gem whispered. "He's genuinely happy and he's not afraid to show it. Dean said he only remembers a little bit from Manticore, and he used to cry and flinch whenever anyone got close to him, but now he doesn't. He said he's got friends at home who love to play with him and he's got his own room."

"He could have his own room here," Max snarled.

Gem sighed, but she didn't reply. Max wasn't even sure why she was still there; Dean was asleep, so she couldn't try to convince him. She didn't want to hear how great baby Alec was and how much happier he was now.

She jumped when there was a sudden knock on the door. Gem got up before she could, and then Original Cindy was walking into the room.

"I hear there's a new baby in the valley," Cindy said. Her tough friend was scowling until her eyes landed on Dean and Alec. Max couldn't help her eye roll when OC's scowl turned into a warm, soft smile. "Now that is cute!"

"Not you too," Max groaned.

"Sorry Boo, but your boy is cute as hell right now," Cindy said. She walked over and sat beside her, while Gem took her seat again. "So, how'd our trouble makin' boy get turned into the cutest kid, huh?"

Max shrugged, "Sam and Dean don't know what happened. They said they found him like this when they were on a hunt."

"Ok, so, why're you all sour 'bout it?" Original Cindy asked.

"They don't want to change him back," Max said. "They're not even looking."

"Girl, lemme ask you somethin'," OC said. "Do you want Alec to be happy?"

"Well yeah, but I want him to be happy with me," Max said.

"But he hasn't even been _with_ you in a while. When Alec was big, he traveled with his brothers. He chose to stay with them. He loved you, but he wanted to stay with his brothers because they made him happy," Cindy said. "And I know it's hard to hear, but his brothers accepted him way before you did. Maybe they know him better and know this is what's gonna make him happy."

Max was stunned; it was everything she'd been trying to ignore laid out right in front of her. Sam and Dean had accepted Alec before she'd even considered him a friend. Alec chose to leave with them even after they'd started getting along and dating. They knew him, and now that he was a baby, they were taking care of him too. Maybe she didn't have a say in how they raised him or if they chose to change him back.

"Just somethin' to think about," Cindy said when she didn't answer. "But either way, your boy is tiny and cute and I think you should be enjoyin' this while it lasts."

Max nodded, but she still didn't feel like agreeing more than that. Gem broke the silence though and asked, "Do you guys want anything to drink?"

"I'll get it," OC said before Gem could get up. "You got that baby and all. You do not need to be servin' us."

OC walked to the kitchen, but Max looked back over at Alec. She couldn't deny that he was cute; he was identical to Dean, just the tiny version. His hair was a lighter blonde than Dean's and his freckles were darker, but that just made him cuter.

Alec suddenly frowned and rubbed his face against Dean's jacket. He looked up at Dean, but then rested against his chest again when he saw he was still asleep.

"Alec, do you need to go potty?" Gem asked.

"No," Alec whispered.

"Do you want your sippy cup?" Gem asked. Alec nodded, so she called out, "OC, could you grab Alec's sippy cup. Dean put it on the counter earlier."

"It's empty," Cindy said. "What's he want?"

"Juice if it's in the fridge," Gem said. Original Cindy came back with three drinks and a sippy cup, passing them out as she went. "He's shy," Gem warned.

OC walked over to Alec, but he hid against Dean's chest. "Now you know Original Cindy did not go to all that work just so you could hide from her. Come on out and take your little sippy cup," OC said.

Alec peeked over at her and reached out a tiny hand for his cup. Cindy gave it to him and he whispered, "Thank you…"

"You're welcome, honey," Cindy said, coming back over to sit by her.

Alec took a drink, but looked around. His eyes widened, and he hid again when he spotted her. He hid for a moment, but then peeked out again to see if she was looking at him. He immediately hid when he saw that she was watching him. She could just barely see his cheeks turn pink as he hid from her. He would barely look at her, but instantly hide again when he saw her.

Gem laughed after he did the same thing about six times. "I think he likes you," Gem said.

"What? How can you tell?" Max asked. "He keeps hiding every time he sees me."

"He's playing a game," Gem said. "And Dean said that Alec thought you were a princess."

Alec peeked back over at her and she smiled at him. He squeaked in surprise and quickly hid again. His cheeks turned a darker shade of pink and he tugged on Dean's jacket.

"Daddy," Alec whispered.

"And you're tellin' me that ain't cute?" Cindy whispered to her.

She ignored her friend as Dean jumped awake. He relaxed after he looked at Alec and rubbed his back. "Yeah baby?" Dean asked, his voice heavy with sleep. Alec didn't answer, so Dean asked, "What's wrong? Do you have to go to the bathroom?" Alec shook his head no, peeked at her, and then hid again. "Oh," Dean said knowingly. "Are you afraid of Max?"

"She's really pretty, Daddy," Alec mumbled.

"Don't you wanna say hi?" Dean asked. Alec didn't say anything, so Dean stood up and walked over to both of them. "Max is gonna hold ya while I go to the bathroom, ok kiddo?"

"Daddy, no," Alec said, clinging to Dean.

"Just for a minute, Alec," Dean said. He carefully pulled Alec's hand from his jacket and held him out to her. She took him after a moment's hesitation and sat him on her lap. He barely weighed anything since he was so little; she wondered how anything so little had managed to survive in Manticore even though she had been through the same thing. It just felt like Alec should have never been put through any of that.

Dean gave her an encouraging smile before he left the room.

"Um, hi," Max said. Alec looked back at her with his big, green eyes, but he didn't say hi back.

Instead, he asked, "Are you a princess?"

"No, I'm not a princess," Max replied. "Why do you think I'm a princess?"

"Because you're pretty like a princess," Alec said. She smiled, but then scowled when Alec said, "Daddy said you're a pain in the butt."

"Really?" Max grumbled. "He said I was a pain in the butt!"

Alec giggled and nodded, "You said butt!"

"So did you," Max pointed out.

"Daddy said butt wasn't a bad word," Alec said, standing up on her legs. "Uncle Sammy said I shouldn't say it since it's not a nice word. I said it wasn't a bad word because Daddy said so and that made Uncle Sammy make his growly face. It was really funny. Daddy said I just couldn't call Uncle Sammy a butt face since that wasn't very nice. He said it wasn't bad, but it hurt Uncle Sammy's feelings." He bounced up and down a little, putting his tiny hands on her shoulders to keep himself steady. "Grandpa says bad words and Uncle Sammy says he's setting a bad example. Daddy said Grandpa could say whatever he wanted and he would just tell me not to say them. Uncle Sammy still makes a funny face when Grandpa says a bad word and I tell Grandpa it was a bad word and he laughs and tells me not to say it in front of Uncle Sammy. And Daddy says I shouldn't say them until I'm older."

Alec could still talk, that hadn't changed at all. "Wow," Max said, unsure what else she could say but knowing she needed to say something since Alec was looking at her expectantly. "So you have a lot of fun with Grandpa and Uncle Sammy?" She asked, trying to get him to start talking again.

"Uh huh," Alec said, nodding. "Grandpa lets me help him with cars and Uncle Sammy gives me piggy-back rides any time I want them. I get to go to the park and play and go swimming and Daddy said he'd take me to the ocean."

"That's right I am," Dean said, walking back into the room.

"Daddy!" Alec yelled. He launched himself off of her legs and into his arms. "Daddy, Max said she wasn't a princess, but she got mad when I told her you thought she was a pain in the butt. I think she's still a princess. She's really pretty and she's really nice too."

"Well, if you think she's a princess, then maybe she is," Dean said.

"Daddy, can we play with Max and Uncle Sammy and Grandpa?" Alec asked, playing with Dean's collar.

"Max might have to go to work again," Dean said.

"Oh," Alec replied sadly.

"I can play for a little while," Max said.

"Yay!" Alec yelled.

Max smiled; she wasn't totally on board with this, but maybe OC was right. Maybe this was better for Alec; maybe he really was happier now. Maybe she shouldn't jump to conclusions, and should just let this play out.

* * *

 _More soon..._


	8. Chapter 8

"Daddy, what about my ducky?" Alec asked, snuggling against his neck. His little boy didn't want to take a bath since he didn't think they had any of his toys.

"Uncle Sammy's looking for your ducky," Dean said.

"What about the bubbles?" Alec asked. "And my sailboat…And Daddy, and what about my batman towel?"

"Yeah baby, Uncle Sammy's looking for all of it," Dean reassured. He was sitting on the sofa, holding Alec as he waited for Sam to find all of Alec's bath toys. It was a good thing they brought all of Alec's toys; he didn't think he would miss them, but Alec knew when his toys were missing. He didn't have much, so he kept track of his toys.

"Daddy, can I play with Mole and Rocky and Maxie and Gem and Eve-"

"Alec," Dean cut off, knowing Alec was going to name every person he met that day. It was better to stop him before he could keep going. "We can do whatever you want tomorrow as long as you take a bath tonight."

"Ok Daddy," Alec said.

"Dean, I can't find the sailboat," Sam called out from the other room.

"Daddy," Alec whined in distress, pulling on his shirt.

"It's ok baby," Dean said before he yelled back, "Check Bobby's bag. He picked up any toys I missed."

"Daddy, I need my sailboat to take a bath," Alec said.

"I know," Dean said. "Uncle Sammy's gonna find it." He stood up with Alec in his arms and headed for the bathroom. "We're gonna start the bath while Uncle Sammy looks for it."

"Daddy, what about my toys?" Alec asked, twisting around to try to see where his toys were.

"Uncle Sammy's gonna bring them," Dean replied patiently. "We're just gonna get the water warm."

Alec threw his arms around his neck and snuggled against him again. He was being really stubborn tonight; he hadn't been this bad at the motels they stopped at, but he'd had a big day and he didn't want it to end. "Daddy…" Alec mumbled, tears in his voice.

"You're not gonna get me this time, kiddo," Dean said. "You're taking a bath even if Uncle Sammy can't find your sailboat."

"But Daddy…" Alec cried. He sniffled and wiped his nose on his shirt and let out some fake tears. Alec had tried this on him before, but he knew when his little boy's tears were fake.

Dean rubbed Alec's back as he started the water in the tub. He would just ignore the fake tears until Alec decided everything was ok.

"Found it," Sam said, running in with Alec's toys, his towel, and his PJs in his arms. Alec stopped crying, but he stayed snuggled against his neck. "Bobby ran to the store to get him some milk so he can still have his warm milk before bed."

"Ok, good," Dean said. He poured the bubbles in once the water was warm and put Alec's toys in the water. "Can you make sure his blankie and Teddy are on the sofa?"

"Yeah, and I'll find his sippy cup," Sam said, leaving again.

"Alright baby, arms up," Dean said as he set Alec on the floor. Alec looked over the edge of the tub and smiled when he saw his toys floating in the water. Alec put his arms up so he could get his shirt off, and then he wiggled out of his pants and pullups. Dean picked up his little boy and put him in the bubbly water.

Alec immediately giggled and hit at the bubbles. Dean quickly washed his little boy's hair while he was distracted. He'd given Alec enough baths now to know the bubbles only held his attention for so long. Eventually Alec would start splashing and wanting him to play too.

"Close your eyes," Dean said, filling a cup with water. Alec closed his eyes tight so he could pour the water over his head.

He cleaned Alec up while he played in the water, and then got him out and dried him off once the water got cold. He got Alec in his dinosaur PJs and carried him back to the living room. Sam gave him Alec's blankie so he could wrap him up, and Alec rested his head on his shoulder.

"And here's his Teddy and his sippy cup with warm milk," Sam said, passing those over too.

"Daddy…where are we sleeping?" Alec asked quietly.

"I'm gonna show him where everyone's sleepin' before we go to bed," Dean said. "He should know just in case he needs something."

"And it'll make him feel better knowing we're all in the same house," Sam said.

Dean nodded and carried Alec down the hall. "Here's our room. See, it's pretty much like our room back home," Dean said. "And here's Uncle Sammy's room."

"The bed is little," Alec whispered.

"Yeah, Uncle Sammy looks funny sleepin' in it," Dean said. "We'll try to wake up early so you can see him."

"Daddy, where's Grandpa sleeping?" Alec asked, his voice muffled against his shoulder.

"Right down here," Dean said, walking to the next room. His heart dropped when he opened the door to Alec's old room. His room didn't have much in it, but he hadn't really seen anything of Alec's from when he was older. He'd put away his few belongings once they were set up at Bobby's and he hadn't looked at them since. He didn't expect it to hurt so much to think about Alec when he was older. He loved having Alec as his little boy, but he missed having him as his little brother.

"Daddy?" Alec asked, tugging on his collar.

His heart leapt again; he would never get tired of hearing his little boy call him that. "Yeah baby?" Dean asked. He tightened his arms around Alec and kissed the top of his head.

"You look sad," Alec said.

"My little brother used to sleep here," Dean said.

"Uncle Sammy?" Alec asked, confused.

"No, I had another little brother," Dean explained. "Something happened to him and he's not here anymore."

"Did he die?" Alec asked softly.

"It's complicated," Dean said. "But he was a lot like you."

"Do you miss him?" Alec asked.

"Yeah baby, I miss him," Dean admitted.

Alec threw his arms around his neck and gave him a big kiss on his cheek. "I'm sorry, Daddy. Don't be sad."

"Ok Alec, I won't be sad," Dean said. "Now, let's go tell Uncle Sammy good night, and then you can drink you're milk and we'll go to bed."

"Ok Daddy," Alec said.

Dean walked back to the living room and Sam smiled when he spotted them. He reached out for Alec and said, "K'mere buddy, give me a good night kiss."

Alec kissed Sam's cheek and said, "Good night Uncle Sammy."

"Don't let the bed bugs bite," Sam teased.

Alec giggled, "I won't!"

Sam kissed Alec good night before he passed him back over. "Alright, drink your milk so we can go to bed," Dean said, holding Alec again. Alec took his sippy cup and drank his warm milk while he held him. He walked over to the sofa and sat down with Alec in his lap. He wrapped Alec up in his blankie and gave him his Teddy so he'd have his favorite things when he fell asleep.

"You good?" Sam asked.

Dean nodded, "I'm gonna turn on the TV and he'll fall asleep in no time."

"Alright, wake me up if you need somethin'," Sam said.

Dean rubbed Alec's chest as he drank his milk. Alec's eyes were starting to droop as he turned on the TV. His little boy was easy to take care of when it was just the two of them. He missed having Alec as his little brother, but he couldn't imagine not having Alec as his little boy. Not only was Alec happier now, but he was happier now too. In fact, he couldn't remember a time when he had been unhappy since Alec had been turn into a two-year-old.

Alec dropped his sippy cup and rubbed his eyes. "Ready for bed, baby?" Dean asked.

Alec nodded, so he turned off the TV and walked back to his room. He kicked off his boots and got under the covers while Alec snuggled against him.

He was asleep for maybe two hours before Alec started screaming. He immediately woke up, and he tried to wake Alec up, but he wouldn't.

"Alec, c'mon baby, you gotta wake up," Dean begged, gently tapping Alec's cheek. "You're havin' a bad dream." Alec weakly struggled against him and screamed again. He kicked his little legs and screamed as loudly as he could.

"What's going on?" Sam asked in panic as he ran in. "Is he ok?"

"I can't get him to wake up…he's having a bad dream," Dean said.

"Alec, c'mon buddy," Sam said, walking over and running his hand through Alec's hair.

Tears slowly started to leak out of Alec's eyes, so he quickly scooped him up and held him against his chest. "It's ok, Alec," Dean soothed. "Everything's ok."

"Daddy," Alec sobbed, fisting his hands in his shirt.

"It's ok, baby," Dean whispered. "It was just a bad dream." Alec sobbed against him, unable to hide how he was feeling. He held his little boy, and eventually he started to calm down. Sam left and came back with Alec's sippy cup and found his Teddy for him.

"Dean, try to get him to drink some juice. It might help," Sam said.

Dean nodded and took the sippy cup. "Alec, do you wanna drink some juice?" Alec shook his head no and refused to come out of his hiding spot.

"Daddy…the-the bad p-people were back," Alec whispered, his voice choked with tears.

"I know," Dean said, kissing the top of Alec's head. "But I'm not goin' anywhere and I won't let them get you, remember?" Alec nodded, but he still sniffled and cried against his chest. "Everything's ok."

"Do you think he can go back to sleep?" Sam asked.

"Maybe…" Dean said. "I'm gonna take him to the living room and turn on the TV again."

"If he can't fall asleep, come get me, ok?" Sam said. "Do not stay up all night with him again. We can take it in turns if we have to."

He rolled his eyes, but nodded as he stood up with Alec. He turned on the TV in the living room again and sat down, hoping Alec would fall asleep. His little boy did fall asleep after a while, and so did he, but it wasn't long before Alec was screaming in fear. Sam ran in, and so did Bobby this time, and the three of them tried to calm him down. It took even longer than the first time, but they managed to get him to relax again.

"Ok baby, let's try this again," Dean murmured, taking Alec to bed instead of staying in the living room. He didn't have much hope that Alec would actually sleep through the rest of the night, but he didn't know what else to do.

They'd been through this before with Alec. After he had been turned into a kid, he'd had terrible nightmares just like these. Once they got him settled at Bobby's the nightmares had mostly stopped, but they'd had to try a lot of different bedtime routines to get it just right. Even though they weren't at home, they had still gone through his routine of giving him a bath, giving him warm milk to drink, and watching TV before he fell asleep. It had worked when they had stayed at the motel, but their luck had run out.

"No bad dreams this time, ok?" Dean said, giving Alec a kiss. "Let's sleep the rest of the night."

"Ok Daddy…" Alec mumbled.

* * *

"We gotta do something different," Sam said as they walked. His brother sounded as exhausted as he felt. They had been at Freak Valley for a few days now, but Alec still hadn't slept through the night. They were all tired since they all woke up every time Alec had a bad dream. He was carrying his little boy right now, walking around the Valley so he could actually get some sleep. Alec slept better when he was being carried. This was really the only way he could get his little boy to sleep at all.

"I've tried everything to get him to sleep…this is the only thing that works," Dean said.

"We could take turns carrying him at night," Sam suggested. "That way we could all get at least a little sleep."

"Even like this he doesn't stay asleep for long," Dean said. "We gotta go home…"

"Max is gonna be pissed," Sam said.

"I gotta do what's best for him. He needs sleep, and for some reason he just can't sleep here," Dean said.

"Do you think he remembers things from when he was older?" Sam asked. "Maybe he recognizes people from back at Manticore, or maybe he even remembers the last time we were here…"

"He always just says that the bad people are back," Dean said. "But he might remember things from before…"

"How're we gonna break this to Max?" Sam asked.

Dean shrugged, "She can visit us and maybe when he's older we can visit again. He wasn't ready for this. He's only ever lived at Bobby's and we just dropped him into this."

"Dean, we couldn't just keep him at Bobby's forever," Sam said.

"I know…" Dean grumbled. He rubbed Alec's back as Sam opened the door to Command. He was hoping to break the news to Max and be on the road right after lunch. He still wanted to swing by the ocean so Alec could see it, but they could do that another time. But he didn't think Max was going to cooperate with his plans.

"Finally," Mole growled when they walked in. "I didn't think you guys were ever going to get here." And he was almost sure Mole was going to stow away in the Impala when they left. "Let me see the little squirt," Mole said, reaching for Alec. Dean passed his little boy over and let Mole hold him. Alec didn't actually wake up, which was a sign of how tired he actually was. "Sleepy little guy, huh?" Mole said, holding Alec against himself.

"He's having trouble sleeping," Sam said. "He's having really bad nightmares…"

"That mean you're leavin' soon?" Mole reluctantly asked.

Dean nodded, "He sleeps better at home. He's gone three nights without sleep now."

"Guess you're going to go tell Max then?"

"Yeah, we figure we'll get a jump on getting back. Get most of the driving done today, and then finish it up tomorrow," Sam said.

"Can I watch him while you talk to her?" Mole asked, looking down at Alec.

Dean smiled, "You big softie…"

"Shut it, Winchester," Mole growled.

"You can watch him," Sam said before he could keep going with Mole.

He glared at his brother, but Sam rolled his eyes and pushed on his shoulder to get him moving. They walked down the hall to what was considered Max's office. Surprisingly, she was in her office, sitting at her desk looking over some papers. She looked up when they walked in, but she frowned when she didn't see Alec.

"Where's Alec?" Max asked.

"Mole kidnapped him," Dean quipped.

Max huffed, "Child hog…"

"I'm afraid he's going to stash him somewhere when we leave," Sam said under his breath.

Max gave them a sharp look when Sam said that and asked, "You're leaving? You just got here!"

"Alec's not sleepin' at night," Dean said. "He's exhausted and so are we."

"We've gotta get him back where he's comfortable, and then maybe when he's older we can try this again," Sam tried to soothe.

Max took a deep breath and thought it over for a minute before she finally asked, "Can I come visit him some time?"

Dean nodded, but then asked, "You ok with him stayin' a kid?"

"I miss my boyfriend," Max admitted. "But I think you know what's best for him and I just want him to be happy."

"He is happy," Sam reassured. "You should see him at home…I don't think I've ever seen him smile so much."

"Or laugh," Dean threw in. "When he really laughs…I don't know…It's the best thing in the whole world."

"I'll visit," Max said with a decisive nod.

"He'll like that," Dean said. "And we will too."

* * *

"Daddy, where are we going?" Alec asked as he buckled him into his car seat. He rubbed his eyes and looked at him sleepily; he was really glad he was taking his little boy home.

"We're goin' home baby," Dean said, rubbing Alec's head.

"Is Maxie coming too?" Alec asked.

"No, she's not coming with us," Dean answered. "But she said she'd visit us."

"What about Mole? Or Rocky?" Alec asked.

"It's just gonna be me, you, Uncle Sammy, and Grandpa Bobby," Dean said. "We'll come back and visit some time. I still have to take you to the ocean, remember?"

"Ok Daddy," Alec whispered.

Dean kissed the top of Alec's head and finished buckling him in. "You try to get some sleep, ok? We've got a long way to go before we get back to Grandpa's house."

Alec was asleep again in no time; he always slept better in the car, so maybe he'd finally get some real sleep. He drove fast and they made good time. He really wanted to get back home in one day, but it wasn't possible now that they had a two-year-old.

They made the trip back in two days, and Dean never thought it would feel so good to be home. Alec liked it too; he ran around the entire house and jumped on the sofa even when Sam told him not to. Dean would usually back Sam up, but he didn't this time.

"Daddy, catch me!" Alec yelled, launching off of the sofa and into his arms. He caught Alec and held him close, and even Sam smiled. Alec hadn't been this active since the first day at Freak Valley. It felt good to see him playing again. "I love you, Daddy," Alec said, giving him a big kiss.

"I love you too, Alec," Dean replied.

* * *

 _More soon..._


	9. Chapter 9

_Hey everyone! I thought I'd do a quick chapter since it's Halloween tomorrow and I thought it would be super cute for the boys to have Halloween and go trick-or-treating. I also brought in a character from Supernatural. The boys don't know this character yet in my stories, but this is one of my favorites so I had to bring them in. I hope you guys like it, and Happy Halloween!_

* * *

"Dean, I think we need to have a serious conversation," Sam said as he walked into the living room. Bobby was right behind him, so he knew something was wrong but he couldn't figure out what it could be. They had been home for a week and Alec had started sleeping again, so he really didn't know what was wrong.

Alec stopped playing with his little car and looked up; he knew something was up too. Alec stood up and ran over to him so he could pick him up.

"What's wrong?" Dean asked, settling Alec on his lap.

Sam and Bobby shared a look, but then Sam said, "Halloween's next week and Alec doesn't have a costume…"

A slow smile spread across his face; he'd forgotten about Halloween. "Alec…do you know what Halloween is?"

"No," Alec said, shaking his head.

"Halloween is the day everyone gets dressed up and goes tick-or-treating," Dean said.

"What's trick-or-treating?" Alec asked.

"That's where you knock on peoples' doors and say trick-or-treat and they give ya candy," Bobby said.

Alec's eyes lit up and he immediately asked, "Daddy, can we go trick-or-treating?"

"We could…" Dean said slowly. "Except you don't have a costume…"

"Can I have a costume?" Alec asked, standing up and facing him.

"Well, what do you want to be?" Sam asked back. Alec turned slightly to face Sam and cocked his head to the side in a silent question. "You can dress up as whoever you want," Sam explained.

"Yeah, you could be Batman, Rocky, one of those Disney characters, or whatever you want," Dean said.

"You!" Alec said, pointing at him.

"Me?" Dean asked back. "Alec, you can be anything you want. I'd even get you a Ghostbuster outfit."

"You Daddy!" Alec said.

Dean chewed his bottom lip; he didn't know if Alec understood what Halloween meant or not. "How 'bout you think about it for a while, and you can change your mind if you want to," Dean finally said. Alec pouted a little bit, so he decided to distract him. "You wanna watch some Scooby Doo? You could be Scooby for Halloween."

"No Daddy," Alec said, sitting down again.

"Dean, c'mon, you said he could be whatever he wanted," Sam said.

"I just said he should think about it," Dean tried to defend. But he really didn't know why Alec wanted to dress up like him; it just didn't make any sense. He rubbed Alec's chest and asked, "How 'bout we go to the store and look at some costumes?" Alec shook his head no and pouted. "We've gotta go to the store anyway, so we'll get some candy and maybe swing by the costumes."

"Get him a toy too," Bobby said, coming over to him and handing him some money.

Alec turned to him with a smile from ear to ear. "What do you tell Grandpa?" Dean asked, trying to hide his own smile.

"Thank you, Grandpa!" Alec yelled. He stood up and jumped at Bobby, who caught him since he knew what he was going to do.

"Pick out somethin' good and don't give your Dad too much trouble, ya hear?" Bobby grumbled.

"Ok," Alec said.

Dean stood up and took Alec back and said, "C'mon, let's go find your shoes so we can go."

* * *

"I say we've got about an hour before they get done shopping," Sam said as soon as the Impala disappeared down the driveway. "We can run to the thrift store and get a few things before they get back, and Dean will never know."

"You just live to piss your brother off, don't you?" Bobby muttered.

"C'mon Bobby, you know it's gonna be adorable to see Alec dress up like him. You know Dean's gonna love it once he sees him, and it's what Alec wants," Sam said. "Besides, we've already got everything he needs except for the leather jacket and a necklace that's close to Dean's."

"And what happens when Halloween rolls around and Dean dresses him up as somethin' else?" Bobby asked.

"Halloween is on a Tuesday, which is my day to watch him. Dean's gonna be busy working, so I get to dress him up before we go trick-or-treating," Sam said.

"You better hope Dean doesn't buy him something else," Bobby said.

"Don't worry, Dean wants Alec to be happy and this is what Alec wants," Sam said. "But we better hurry up, they won't be in town forever."

"Alright, let's go find a car that works…" Bobby said.

* * *

Alec kicked his little legs as he rode in the cart. Dean walked down the aisles, grabbing Alec's snacks and getting them some food for the week. He'd never really gone grocery shopping before Alec was a kid; he'd gone on supply runs, but they'd mostly eaten out, but now they were trying to be healthier for Alec's sake. Sam was a stickler for vegetables, but he tried to get Alec a few treats too.

"What toy do you think you want?" Dean asked.

"A racecar," Alec said.

Dean nodded, "I think we can find that." He grabbed a big jug of Apple Juice, but then asked, "Do you wanna be a racecar driver for Halloween?"

"No Daddy," Alec replied.

"What about The Flash? You like those comics and you're super-fast like he is," Dean said.

"No," Alec said.

"How about a fire fighter?" Dean asked. That one hurt a little, but if he could get Alec to agree, then he'd be ok with it.

"No Daddy, I wanna be you," Alec whispered. He was giving him his puppy-dog-eyes, begging him to let him do what he wanted.

"You sure?" Dean asked. "Halloween is just one night a year…"

"I'm sure," Alec said.

He headed for the Halloween aisle and walked by the costumes. He pointed a few of them out to Alec, but his little boy just shook his head no to every suggestion. At least they already had Alec's costume, so it wouldn't cost them any money. Maybe after his first Halloween, he'd pick a better costume for the next one.

"There's a couple rules for Halloween, ok?" Dean said after a while.

"What kind of rules?" Alec asked suspiciously.

"Well, when we go trick-or-treating, you have to stay with me or Uncle Sammy or Grandpa Bobby at all times," Dean said. "There are going to be a lot of kids out that night and I don't want to lose you, ok?"

"Ok Daddy," Alec said easily.

"Another rule is, you can't eat any of the candy until me or Uncle Sammy says it's ok. Sometimes people do bad things to candy to hurt little kids, so we're going to check it before you eat it," Dean said.

Alec nodded, but he looked scared. "Will the bad people try to get me?"

"No, they won't try to get you," Dean reassured. He wasn't explaining this right; he didn't want to scare Alec, he just wanted him to be careful. "Besides, you're gonna be with me the whole time and I won't let them get you."

"Ok," Alec whispered.

"Ok, one last rule," Dean said. "You have to say thank you when someone gives you some candy."

"Ok Daddy," Alec said.

"Can you remember all of those?" Dean asked.

Alec nodded, "Stay with you, let you check the candy first, and say thank you."

Dean smiled and ruffled Alec's hair, "That's right."

"Can we go trick-or-treating now?" Alec asked.

Dean chuckled, "Not yet baby, we have to wait until Halloween."

* * *

"Ok Alec, hold still," Sam said.

Alec scowled at him as he tried to fix his hair like Dean's. He just had to get it a little spiky in the front, but Alec wouldn't hold still long enough for him to do it. He kept trying to sneak past him so he could show Dean his costume.

He couldn't wait to see the look on Dean's face when he saw Alec. He'd dressed Alec up in his jeans and little baby boots, and he'd gotten him in a black t-shirt with a flannel shirt over it. Bobby had found an amulet in one of his drawers that was close to Dean's, but he'd found the thing that made Alec look just like Dean. At the thrift store there had been a leather jacket almost identical to Dean's, except it was for a little boy. It was like the universe wanted Alec to be his Dad for Halloween too.

All he needed to do was spike up Alec's hair, and he'd be good. But Alec never wanted to stand still for him.

"Sam?" Dean called out from downstairs.

"Alec, hold still so I can do this before your Daddy comes up here, ok?" Sam asked. Alec sighed, but he held still long enough for him to spike up his little bangs. "Ok, now you can go show your Daddy," Sam said.

Alec immediately smiled and darted for the door. Sam followed after his nephew, and was just in time to see Dean spot Alec. Dean's eyes widened and he smiled from ear to ear. Alec jumped off the last step and Dean caught him, but held him out so he could look him over.

"Sam, where did you find his jacket?" Dean asked in shock.

"Me and Bobby went to a thrift store and found it," Sam said with a smile.

"Daddy, I look just like you," Alec said.

"Yes you do," Dean said. "Let's go show Grandpa."

"Ok!" Alec said. He wiggled free and took off in search of Bobby.

"Pretty cute, huh?" Sam asked.

Dean chuckled, "He would've been cute as anything."

"Yeah, but you gotta admit, this is pretty cool," Sam said.

"Thanks Sam," Dean said, patting his chest as he walked by.

Sam nodded and headed for the kitchen. Dean was right behind him, but they both stopped once they saw Alec with Bobby.

Bobby looked between Alec and Dean and said, "Wait…there are two Dean's? Where's Alec?"

"Grandpa, I'm Alec!" Alec yelled.

"You are? You look just like your Daddy," Bobby said, messing with Alec.

Alec's smile lit up the whole room, and Sam knew they'd made the right choice. Alec couldn't be happier; he loved Dean and wanted to be just like him. Even when he was older Alec always looked up to Dean, so it was no surprise that he wanted to be just like him.

"C'mon kiddo, we've gotta eat before we can go trick-or-treating," Dean said. He walked over to Alec and picked him up before he sat him in his booster seat.

"And you need to eat all of your vegetables before we can go," Sam tacked on. Dean didn't always make Alec eat all of hi veggies since he didn't like them either. But Alec was a little boy, and he needed his vegetables so he could go up big and strong…or at the very least, healthy.

"Uncle Sammy, I don't like vegetables," Alec said matter-of-factly.

"I know you don't," Sam said, trying to hide his smile. "But you need to eat them because they're good for you."

"Daddy doesn't eat vegetables and I'm just like Daddy," Alec said.

"C'mon Sam, one night with no veggies," Dean said.

"Dean," Sam said with a sigh. "Alec needs to eat his vegetables."

"But it's Halloween," Dean argued.

"Two carrots and one piece of broccoli," Sam tried to bargain. "That's all I'm asking for tonight."

Dean looked at Alec, and then said, "Alright, two carrots and one piece of broccoli."

"But Daddy," Alec whined.

"I'll eat them too," Dean quickly reassured.

Alec still didn't look happy, but he agreed. Dean cooked him a grilled cheese sandwich, and he ate his dinner with his milk and vegetables without complaint.

It was getting darker now, so it was just about time to head to town. Alec must have known it was almost time, because he started to fidget more. Sam knew he'd probably run around the house if he could, but he was afraid to get into trouble before they went. Alec had gotten better in the time they'd had him; he wasn't as afraid of getting into trouble now since he knew he wouldn't really get punished if he did something wrong. But they still had to teach him right from wrong, and sometimes they had to give him a timeout for backtalking. He didn't like giving Alec a timeout, but he did need to know how to behave and that was the best way they'd found to teach him if he continued to do the same things wrong even after they had told him.

He was afraid if he did something wrong tonight, then they would take away trick-or-treating. But they wouldn't be able to do that to him. He was excited to go trick-or-treating, and they were excited to take him.

"C'mon baby, time to go," Dean said, picking Alec up. It was so cute to see them together; Dean had even put on his leather jacket so they would match.

"Daddy, is trick-or-treating scary?" Alec whispered.

He was almost always nervous when they did something new. Sam figured it was because of Manticore. They probably sprung things on him all the time and they were probably not pleasant. He wished they could take those memories away from him, but they couldn't. They just had to try to convince him that everything was going to be ok now.

"There are going to be some scary decorations, but none of it is real," Dean replied honestly. "And if you get scared, I'm going to be there the whole time."

"Ok Daddy," Alec said.

"Hold up," Bobby said, stopping them before they got to the door.

"What?" Dean asked, turning to face them.

Bobby held up a camera and said, "We're gonna want to remember this."

"Ok baby, smile for Grandpa," Dean said.

* * *

"Remember what I said, ok? Remember the rules," Dean said. He was slowly unbuckling Alec from his car seat; he was a little nervous and Alec looked a little scared, but he hoped once they got started, then Alec would have fun.

"Stay with you, you check the candy, and say thank you," Alec whispered. His little boy was scared; he was excited earlier, but now he didn't know what to expect.

"This is gonna be fun," Dean said. "You're gonna get lots of candy and see a lot of cool stuff. Halloween is one of the best holidays there is."

Alec nodded, but still reached for him so he could be picked up. He got Alec out of the car and started to set him down, but he refused to let go. "No," Alec said, when he tried again. "No Daddy."

"Ok, ok," Dean soothed. "I'll carry you."

"Is he being shy again?" Sam asked as he got out.

"Yeah, you know how he is when we do something new," Dean said.

"Bobby's getting him a bucket to put candy in…maybe he'll warm up after the first house," Sam said.

"Daddy, it's scary," Alec whispered.

"It's all fake, baby. Nothin's gonna get you," Dean reassured.

Alec gasped when he spotted a fake graveyard across the street with skeletons crawling out of the ground. "Daddy," Alec cried.

"Hey, how 'bout we go get some candy, huh?" Dean asked to try to distract his little boy.

"Ok," Alec whispered.

"Remember what you gotta say to get candy?" Dean asked.

"Trick-or treat…" Alec said with a sniffle.

"Here's a bucket for him," Bobby said, handing him a pumpkin shaped bucket.

"Can you hold this?" Dean asked. Alec shook his head no and hid against his neck. "Alec, this isn't scary. It's just a bucket to put candy in."

Alec still shook his head no. He was being stubborn since he had decided this was scary. He just had to get some candy so he could see that it was fun. He walked up to the first house and pushed the doorbell. Alec still hid against his neck, and he tried to get even closer when the door opened.

"Alec, what d'you say?" Dean asked. The older woman behind the door smiled as he whispered, "He's shy…"

"That's ok," the older woman said. "Is this his first year?"

"Yeah, and he gets nervous when we do something new," Dean said.

"He's adorable," the woman said.

"Alec, c'mon kiddo," Dean urged.

"Trick-or-treat," Alec whispered. Dean held out the bucket and the woman dropped a handful of candy in it. Alec's eyes widened when he saw the candy and he smiled just a little bit.

"Alec, what d'you say?" Dean asked.

"Thank you!" Alec said.

Dean smiled at the woman and walked back over to Sam and Bobby. "That wasn't so scary, was it?" Dean asked. Alec shook his head no, but didn't let get of him. "You think you wanna try the next one?"

"You have to go too," Alec said.

"Ok, I'll go too," Dean said.

"How'd it go?" Sam asked.

"We got some candy," Dean said, and then he asked Alec, "You want to go with Uncle Sammy this time?" Alec shook his head no and hid against him again. "Alright, maybe the next one."

He walked up to the next house and rang the doorbell. Alec actually smiled a little and said, "Trick-or-treat."

The man tossed some candy into their bucket, and Alec immediately told him 'thank you'. Alec warmed up after a few more houses, and he even started walking after they went to the next block. He still held his hand, but they were making progress.

"Well if it isn't Bobby Singer," a woman said behind them.

The four of them all turned around, but then Alec tugged on his sleeve so he would pick him up. The woman in front of them had dark hair and she was wearing a Sheriff's uniform. Part of him thought she could be dressed for Halloween, but then he spotted her gun, and he knew she was the real deal.

"Sheriff," Bobby said.

"Didn't think I'd see you out trick-or-treating," the Sheriff said.

"It's my Grandson's first year," Bobby easily replied. Dean could tell there was some tension between them, but he'd never seen this woman before so he didn't know what it could be.

The Sheriff's eyes landed on him and Alec briefly before she looked back at Bobby. "I heard you had a Grandson, but I didn't think it was true. Didn't picture you as the family type…"

Bobby looked back at him and motioned for him to come over there. Sam walked up beside him too just in case they needed to make a run for it. "This is Sam and Dean. And that's Dean's boy, Alec," Bobby introduced. "Boys, this is Sheriff Jody Mills."

Jody smiled at them, and Dean was surprised when Alec actually smiled back. He was still hiding against him, but he wasn't being as shy as he had been.

"Are you having a good Halloween?" Jody asked.

Alec nodded, "I have lots of candy."

Jody's smile wavered and her eyes watered, but she nodded at Alec and said, "That's good."

"Did you get any candy?" Alec asked, thinking Jody was sad because she hadn't gotten any. Jody chucked and shook her head no. "Daddy, can Jody go trick-or-treating?"

"Well, she might have to keep working," Dean said.

Alec game him the puppy-dog-eyes and begged, "Please?"

Dean looked at Jody again and said, "He wants you to go trick-or-treating…"

Jody hesitated, but then said, "I guess I could do a couple houses."

Alec beamed and immediately wiggled to get free. He ran over to Jody and grabbed her hand. She looked surprised, but she didn't let go of his little hand.

"Alec, you need your candy bucket," Dean said.

"Can you carry it?" Alec asked, looking up at Jody. She laughed before she took the bucket from him. "We can go to a few houses so we can both get candy," Alec said matter-of-factly. "Daddy said I can't eat it yet, but he said he'd check some so I could have one before bedtime. Uncle Sammy doesn't like that, but Daddy already said so."

Jody nodded, and then said, "I guess you're dressed up as your Daddy for Halloween."

"Yeah, Daddy said I could be whoever I wanted!" Alec said excitedly.

His little boy kept talking as he and Jody walked up to another house. Dean hung back with Bobby and Sam and watched as Jody rang the doorbell.

"You just never know who Alec will decide he'll like," Sam muttered.

"Jody's sad and he knows it," Bobby said. "The kid likes to help people, and I think this will actually help her."

"Why's she sad?" Dean asked.

"Her boy died a little over a year ago," Bobby said.

"You sure this is ok?" Dean asked. "I don't wanna make this harder on her…"

"Alec's got a way about him. I don't think it's gonna hurt to be around him," Bobby said.

"What's with you and Jody?" Sam asked. Bobby scowled so Sam shrugged and said, "It doesn't take a genius to figure out that somethin's going on."

"Let's just say I didn't get along real great with the locals for a while," Bobby muttered, adjusting his hat uncomfortably.

Dean shook his head in amusement; he wanted to tease Bobby, but Alec and Jody were coming back, so he'd have to wait.

"Daddy, I got three pieces of candy!" Alec said, jumping up and down in excitement.

"That's awesome!" Dean said.

"Can we go to another house so Jody can get some too?" Alec asked.

"Yeah, we can go to another house. You lead the way and we'll follow, ok?" Dean asked.

"Ok!" Alec said. He kept ahold of Jody's hand and led her down the street.

* * *

"He is wiped out," Dean said, carrying Alec back towards the Impala.

"He made a pretty good haul," Sam said. He was carrying the candy bucket, looking to see if there was anything in there that he wanted. He and Dean had agreed that Alec didn't need every piece of candy he got; he could spare a few so they could have some candy too.

"You can add these to his stash," Jody said, passing over two handfuls of candy. "Alec decided I needed more and just gave me as many pieces as I could hold."

"At least keep a few," Dean said. "He'll know if you give them all back."

Jody didn't look like she believed him, but she did pocket a few pieces of candy. "Thank you for letting me walk around with him for a while."

Dean shrugged and played off, "Gave me a break from going door to door."

"His costume confused some people though when you weren't there," Jody said with a laugh. "They would ask him if he was a Rockstar and he'd say 'no! I'm my Daddy!' They would smile and laugh…"

"He's cute when he wants to be," Sam said. He knew his nephew could be a little demon sometimes too.

"You know who else is wiped out…" Bobby grumbled. "It's me! I think we hit every house twice!"

"Only the best for my little boy," Dean said.

They finally made it to the Impala and Dean walked around to put Alec in his car seat. He and Bobby hung back with Jody to say they goodbyes.

"It really was great tonight," Jody muttered to herself, looking at the back of the Impala.

"Y'know, the boys are stayin' with me now," Bobby started, shifting his hat. "You and Sean are welcome to come over. It's nothin' special, but we might be able to scare up some food…"

Jody nodded, "I'd like that."

She gave him and Bobby a hug, and waved at Dean before she headed off in the opposite direction. Bobby patted his back, and they both walked to the Impala to go home. They had a successful Halloween, and he couldn't wait for the next one. He had wanted to find a way to change Alec back when he was first changed, but now he couldn't imagine life without his two-year-old nephew. He wanted to show him everything and give him every good memory he could get.

He turned in his seat once he was in the Impala to make sure Alec was still ok. He was sound asleep in his car seat, and Dean had put his Teddy in next to him. He looked so cute still dressed up as Dean, and he knew Alec was happier now than he had been when he was older. He could have a better life now, even if he did still have some bad memories from Manticore.

"Ready?" Dean asked, when he didn't immediately turn back around.

Sam nodded, "Yeah, let's go home."

* * *

 _More soon..._


	10. Chapter 10

"Uncle Sammy, take my picture," Alec said. He was grinning from ear to ear with his eyes shut tight, but Sam snapped the picture anyway. Ever since Bobby had taken a picture of Alec on Halloween, that was his new favorite thing. He and Dean had been taking nonstop pictures of him since then, and now they had over 100 pictures of him.

He chuckled when Alec opened his eyes and pretended to make muscles with his little arms. He took another picture since he knew Dean would like that one.

"Uncle Sammy, take another one," Alec said, sticking out his tongue and crossing his eyes.

"You better watch out," Sam said, taking another picture. "You keep it up, your face will stick like that."

Alec scowled at him and argued, "No it won't."

"Yes it will," Sam replied.

"No it won't," Alec said, crossing his arms over his little chest.

He snapped another picture and said, "I'm gonna call that one 'stubborn little boy'."

"I'm not stubborn," Alec said.

"Yes you are," Sam argued. Alec always argued with him, but it was kind of fun sometimes. "You're stubborn all the time."

Alec threw himself at him, but he easily caught his nephew but then tipped him upside down. Alec laughed, "Uncle Sammy! Take another one!"

"Another one?" Sam asked as he lifted Alec up again. "We've taken a hundred pictures!"

"Let's take a hundred more," Alec said.

"Let's go outside instead," Sam suggested.

"No," Alec said. "We need to take more pictures."

"Let's find your Daddy instead," Sam said. "He was going to take you to the toy store, remember?"

"Yeah!" Alec yelled.

He smiled as he took Alec outside and walked to the garage. He found Bobby right off, but he didn't see Dean anywhere. He figured his brother was under one of the cars, and that's why he couldn't see him. Alec pushed on his shoulder; he knew he wanted down to go find his Dad, so he quickly set him down, but warned, "Remember, don't touch anything or else you're going to get a time out, ok?"

Alec rolled his eyes and huffed, "Ok."

He watched Alec go and tried to keep an eye on him as he talked to Bobby. "We took a ton of pictures. The camera is Alec's new favorite thing."

"Good," Bobby said. "We shoulda been takin' pictures of him from the start. We're gonna want to remember these days."

Sam nodded, "I can't even imagine him growing up…it doesn't seem right anymore."

"I know. Just think about when he's old enough to go to school," Bobby said.

"Don't mention school to Dean," Sam muttered. "He throws a fit every time I bring it up."

"Uncle Sammy!" Alec yelled from across the room. "I can't find Daddy!"

"Dean wasn't feelin' so hot, so he snuck inside," Bobby said.

"Damn…Dean was going to take him to get another toy," Sam said.

"Uncle Sammy, where's Daddy?" Alec asked as he slowly walked back over.

"Daddy wasn't feeling too good, so he went inside," Sam said.

Alec nodded once before he turned and walked out of the garage. Sam sighed, but quickly followed his nephew out. "Alec, Daddy needs his rest. He needs to sleep to start feeling better," Sam said as he walked next to Alec.

But Alec ignored him and walked back to the house. He walked right up the stairs and to his and Dean's room. Dean was lying on the bed, but he really didn't look too good. He didn't even wake up when he and Alec walked in.

Alec climbed into bed and curled up against Dean's chest. "Daddy," Alec whispered.

"Alec, let's let Daddy sleep," Sam said softly.

Alec shook his head and snuggled against Dean. Surprisingly, Dean actually started to wake up and mumbled, "Hey kiddo…"

"Dean, you need anything?" Sam asked.

"No…just gonna sleep for a while…"

"Alright, c'mon Alec," Sam said, walking over and trying to pick up his nephew.

Alec grabbed Dean though and said, "No, I wanna stay with Daddy!"

"He's going to sleep for a while, and we're going to go get a toy, ok?" Sam asked.

Alec still shook his head no, so Dean said, "C'mon kiddo, I'm not feelin' so good, but Uncle Sammy's gonna get you a toy."

"Daddy, I wanna stay with you," Alec whispered.

"How 'bout when you get back, we can both take a nap," Dean suggested.

"Ok," Alec finally agreed. He sounded so sad to leave Dean, but this would help everyone. Dean needed rest and he needed to spend some time with Alec. His nephew gave Dean a kiss and said, "Get better, Daddy."

"I will," Dean said with a small smile.

Sam picked Alec up and carried him back downstairs. "What toy do you want this time?" Sam asked as he walked to the car.

"Can we get some medicine for Daddy instead?" Alec asked.

"We have medicine here at home, buddy," Sam said.

"I don't wanna go," Alec whined.

"How 'bout we develop these pictures? Don't you want to see all the pictures we took?" Sam asked.

Alec nodded and mumbled, "Ok…"

He put Alec in his car seat and buckled him in. He thought about taking Alec to the park too, but he knew Alec would want to get back here as soon as he could, and he didn't want whatever Dean had to spread to the other kids. Alec didn't get sick, but that didn't mean other kids wouldn't catch it.

"Uncle Sammy?" Alec asked as he pulled out of Bobby's salvage yard.

"Yeah buddy?" Sam asked back.

"Why is Daddy sick?" Alec asked.

"Well, sometimes people get sick," Sam said. "But he'll get better in a few days."

"Days?!" Alec exclaimed. "But you said Daddy just needed some sleep!"

"He does," Sam reassured. "It just might take a couple days."

"Uncle Sammy?" Alec asked after a moment.

"Yeah buddy?"

"Am I going to get sick too?" Alec asked. "And are you going to get sick and is Grandpa going to get sick?"

"Well, me and Grandpa might get sick, but you're special," Sam said. "Remember when De-Daddy said that you shouldn't run as fast as you can or jump as high as you can around other kids?"

"Yeah…" Alec said slowly.

"Well, this goes along with that. You can do things other kids can't, and you don't get sick like other kids do," Sam tried to explain. "Does that make sense?"

"No," Alec said.

"You know the bad place?" Sam asked, not knowing any other way to get Alec to understand. He looked at Alec in the rearview mirror; he looked scared, but he nodded. "Well, the bad place gave you special abilities. Do you remember them giving you shots and things like that?"

"Yeah…" Alec whispered.

"Well, some of that helped give you the special abilities," Sam said. "And it helped your immune system to fight against diseases. So even though your Daddy got sick, you won't."

"Am I a superhero, Uncle Sammy?" Alec asked quietly.

Sam smiled, "Yeah, you're a superhero."

* * *

He felt terrible; his muscles ached and he was coughing off and on. He was glad that Sam took Alec to the store since he was afraid his little boy would catch whatever he had. He knew Alec wouldn't get sick, but he still didn't want to chance it.

"Hey kid, you feelin' any better?" Bobby asked from the doorway.

"No," Dean grumbled.

"You wanna try to eat some soup?" Bobby asked.

He groaned, "No…"

"You wanna move to the sofa so when they get back, Alec can be in the same room with you?" Bobby asked. "And maybe he'll decide to watch a movie instead of drivin' your brother nuts." He didn't answer so Bobby continued, "And this way we won't have to lock him outta this room. He might let you sleep if you're on the sofa…"

"Fine…" Dean mumbled. He started to push himself up, but he was already pretty weak.

Bobby came over to him and helped him up before he went over to the dresser and searched for something. He came back with a pair of sweatpants and said, "Put these on. You'll be more comfortable if you don't sleep in jeans all day."

He grumbled a little under his breath, but he knew Bobby was right. He slowly changed, getting his gun from the back of his pants and setting it on the nightstand.

"Do you sleep with that all the time?" Bobby asked with a frown.

"What? My gun?" Dean asked back. Bobby nodded, so he said, "Well, yeah…"

"Do you have any brains at all?!" Bobby yelled. "You've got a two-year-old son and you're sleepin' with a gun!"

"Bobby-"

"If Alec gets ahold of that, he could shoot himself or you," Bobby growled. "I thought you woulda had some sense, but this…"

"What am I supposed to do with it?" Dean asked.

"Lock it away! Put it somewhere he can't reach!" Bobby yelled.

"Yeah? And if something happens and I don't have it, then what?" Dean yelled back. "It's better that I have it and can teach him how to be safe and how to use it than to not have it when I really need it."

Bobby sighed and was quiet for a minute before he nodded, "Fine, I don't like it, but that makes some sense."

"Besides, he held a gun before I got him," Dean muttered. "The first time he saw mine…he just looked sad. I asked him if he knew what it was and he nodded. Bobby, they had him holding a gun…"

"I didn't know that," Bobby said softly. "I forgot he was at Manticore before we had him."

He nodded, "Me too. He hadn't mentioned it for a while, and he's always so happy now I forgot."

"He's really held a gun before?" Bobby asked.

"Yeah…he knows the parts of it and everything," Dean said. "They must have taken it apart and told him what each piece was, and his memory's so good, he remembered. He hasn't ever shot one though…so at least there's that."

"Well, I'll leave gun trainin' up to you," Bobby said. "Now, let's get you downstairs."

He nodded and started for the door, but a wave of dizziness made him stop and reach for the closest thing to catch his balance. Bobby grabbed his arm and looped it over his shoulders.

"You're burnin' up, boy," Bobby said. "I'll get ya some medicine and some soup and water once you're on the sofa."

"Bobby, I'm fine. I don't need all this babying," Dean complained.

"Dean, we've got a chance to do this right. A chance to teach Alec that it's ok to get help when he needs it. But we've gotta show him that it's ok, and the best way to show him is by you accepting help first," Bobby said, helping him down the hall before they slowly started down the stairs. "You know Alec, and you know that no matter what you do, he's gonna find trouble. It may not be supernatural trouble, or maybe when he's older he'll get into hunting too, either way, some day he's gonna get hurt and it'd be better if he didn't try to hide it from us when it happened."

"Bobby," Dean growled. He didn't want to talk about when Alec got older. He didn't like thinking about when his boy grew up and didn't need him anymore.

"You know it's gonna happen," Bobby said. "He's already been hurt before just by playing on the playground. The kid's a trouble magnet, but this is one way to protect him. If we show him it's ok to ask for help, then he will."

He was quiet for a minute, but then he finally said, "Fine, but I can't just change because you told me to."

"I know. It's gonna take time, but all you gotta do is try," Bobby said. He helped ease him on the sofa, and he closed his eyes in relief. "Now, I'm gonna get ya some soup and water, ok?"

He nodded, but then asked, "And a blanket?"

Bobby chuckled, "Yeah, and a blanket."

* * *

Alec swung their hands as they walked down the aisles. He'd dropped off the film at the counter, and now they were just waiting for it to get developed. The store was small, but it had enough for them to look at while they waited.

"Uncle Sammy! Look at this one!" Alec said, leading him over to the display of snow globes. It was getting closer to Christmas, so the stores had their lights up and their Christmas displays, which made the trip even better. "What are they doing?" Alec asked, pointing to the one with the ice skaters.

"They're ice skating," Sam said. "Maybe when it snows we'll take you ice skating."

"Ok!" Alec said happily, grabbing his hand again.

"What do you want for your toy?" Sam asked.

"Can I have one of those?" Alec asked, pointing to the snow globes again.

"Sure, which one do you want?" Sam asked. There were quite a few in the display, but he wasn't sure which one Alec would pick. "Here," he said, picking Alec up so he could see better. "There's the ice skaters, or the ones having a snowball fight…or the snowman, that one's pretty cool."

"What's that one?" Alec asked, pointing to another one.

"That's a Christmas tree," Sam said. "We'll put one up at Grandpa's house later if you want."

Alec nodded, "Yeah. Can I have that one?"

"Sure, let me just get the clerk and tell him which one we want," Sam said, setting Alec down again. Alec held his hand as they walked back down the aisle. He walked up to the clerk and told him which snow globe they wanted, and then waited while he went to go get it.

"Uncle Sammy," Alec whispered, tugging on his hand.

"Yeah?" Sam asked.

"Someone's watching us," Alec said.

He turned to look for whoever Alec was talking about, but he didn't see anyone there. "Who's watching us?"

"That lady," Alec said, pointing towards the opposite side of the store, but no one was there.

"Alec, I don't see anybody," Sam said, crouching down next to his nephew. He was worried that there might be a ghost in the store, but it didn't feel like there was. But Alec had heightened senses, so maybe he could pick up on something that he couldn't.

"She's really pretty," Alec said. "She's got long red hair and a long dress on."

"Is she kind of see through?" Sam asked, still trying to see what Alec saw.

"No, she's really there," Alec said.

"I can't see her, buddy," Sam said.

"Ok, one snow globe comin' right up," the clerk said. "And your pictures are just about done…"

"Thanks," Sam said, standing up again. He pulled Alec against his leg since he didn't want him to go over to the lady. He still didn't know if it was a ghost or not, but Alec was his responsibility right now. He gave the clerk his money and kneeled down to show Alec the snow globe. "Now, you've gotta be really careful with this, ok? It's really breakable, so it's just to look at."

"Ok," Alec said. He tipped it upside down, and then back over so Alec could see it snow onto the tree. "Wow!" Alec said with a wide smile.

Sam chuckled and ruffled Alec's hair before he kissed the top of his head. He started to stand up again to get the pictures, but then the hair suddenly stood up on the back of his neck. He turned as the little bell jingled and two men rushed in holding guns.

"Hands up!" One of the guys yelled while the other guy yelled, "Nobody move!"

He immediately pushed Alec behind him. This was bad. He either needed to make a move now, or he'd have to just pray they didn't hurt them. He looked back at the clerk, and he looked to him.

"Alec, get down when I say," Sam said as softly as he could without moving his lips. The men were shouting at the clerk now, so this was the best chance he was going to get. "Get down!" Sam yelled, pulling his gun from the back of his pants at the same time.

He fired at the first guy, but heard two other shots fired at the same time. He felt a burning in his left shoulder, but saw the other guy go down. He looked over at the clerk in surprise and saw he had a shotgun out, and pointed where the second guy had been.

The clerk dropped his gun and grabbed the phone as soon as the guy dropped.

"Alec!" Sam said, turning to look for his nephew. He was pretty sure nothing had gotten to Alec, but he had to make sure. Alec was on the ground, just like he'd told him, looking up at him with wide eyes. "Alec," Sam breathed out in relief, dropping down next to Alec and pulling him in close. "Are you ok? Are you hurt?" Sam asked quickly.

Alec shook his head no, "I'm ok."

"Cops are on the way and I called in an ambulance for you," the clerk said, coming around to their side of the counter. "Is he ok?"

"Yeah, he's ok," Sam reassured.

"Uncle Sammy, you're bleeding," Alec said.

"I know, but I'm ok," Sam said. "We're just going to take a trip to the hospital, ok?"

"Should we call Daddy?" Alec asked.

"Yeah, I'll call him once we're at the hospital, ok?" Sam asked, and Alec nodded. Alec was still holding his snow globe, which was amazingly still in one piece.

"What happened? I heard gunfire from across the street," a familiar voice said. Sam turned and saw Jody Mills running into the store.

"Jody!" Alec said excitedly. Alec got up and ran to Jody, who immediately picked him up.

"Alec, are you ok? Are you hurt?" Jody asked worriedly, looking him over as she held him.

"Uncle Sammy's hurt," Alec said.

Jody slowly walked into the store, avoiding the two dead bodies as she went. "Mitch, what happened? Sam…"

"Two guys came in tryin' to rob the place," Mitch said. "Sam here, helped me bring 'em down."

"Sam, are you ok?" Jody asked, kneeling beside him, with Alec still in her arms.

"Just got hit in the left shoulder," Sam said, turning to lean against the counter. "I think it went straight through, but I don't know…"

"I'll call Bobby," Jody said. "Mitch, is an ambulance on the way?"

"Yeah," Mitch said.

She thought for a moment, before she nodded. "Alright, well, when they get here tell them I took him to the hospital already," Jody said. "C'mon Sam, let's get to your car. Mitch, help him up."

"Jody, you sure?" Mitch asked.

"This sounds a lot better than an ambulance," Sam said, accepting Mitch's hand up. He leaned against the man as they walked out of the store and to his brother's car. Jody followed them and took the keys from him when he held them out.

"Ok Alec, we're gonna go for a ride," Jody said as she buckled him into his car seat.

"Jody, hold on before you leave," Mitch said, running back into his store.

"Sam, you doin' ok?" Jody asked, getting into the driver's seat.

"Yeah, this isn't even that bad," Sam said. "You could just take me to Bobby's and he can patch me up."

"No, you're going to the hospital," Jody said in a no-nonsense tone.

"Here Sam," Mitch said, holding out a packet to him. "Thought you should at least get what you came in for."

"Thanks," Sam said, realizing it was the pictures that he brought in.

"And I grabbed another one of these for ya," Mitch said, holding up the snow globe of the ice skaters. "It's not a lot, but I wanna try to do somethin' to thank you for what you did."

"Thanks Mitch, Alec's really going to like this," Sam said.

Mitch smiled, "You get patched up, ok?"

"I will," Sam said.

"Mitch, call Bobby Singer and tell him what happened and where we are," Jody said, starting the Impala and putting it in gear. "Alright boys, let's take a trip to the hospital."

* * *

 _More soon..._


	11. Chapter 11

"Dean, c'mon, we gotta get to the hospital," Bobby said, shaking his shoulder.

"What?" Dean asked, turning slightly to face Bobby. He thought he said that they needed to go to the hospital, but he couldn't figure out why. And he felt terrible and it was taking a minute to catch up.

"C'mon, I know you don't feel great, but I doubt you want me ta leave ya here," Bobby said.

"Why're we goin' to the hospital?" Dean asked slowly. Bobby better not be trying to get him there because he was sick. He knew he was sick, but he wasn't hospital sick.

"Somethin' happened and Jody's at the hospital with Sam and Alec," Bobby said.

"What?!" He yelled, jumping off of the sofa. He fell back down though, but immediately pushed himself back up. He started for the door without even thinking about shoes or a jacket. Either his brother was hurt or his son, and he needed to be there. Since they were at the hospital, he figured it was Alec that was hurt. But what could have happened on a trip to the store. Maybe they were both hurt. Maybe they got into a car accident. Oh God, he couldn't breathe. Alec was hurt and he wasn't there.

"Dean, hold up," Bobby called after him. "Slow down or else you're gonna pass out and I'm gonna leave ya here."

"Bobby, we have to get there," Dean stressed. His chest felt tight; panic was going to overwhelm him. He had to get to the hospital.

"I know, but you need a coat and shoes before we go anywhere," Bobby said, grabbing his arm and leading him back to the sofa to sit down. "Stay here and I'll get everything."

"Bobby…" Dean said to stop him from leaving. "Are they ok?"

"I think so," Bobby said. "All I got from Mitch was that something happened and Sam was the one that was hurt. He didn't say it was urgent, he just said Jody took 'em to the hospital." He felt his chest loosen knowing that Alec was ok. He still didn't like that Sam was hurt, but he couldn't handle it if Alec was hurt and he wasn't there. "Stay put, ok?" Bobby said.

He nodded, and waited for Bobby to come back. He still didn't feel good, but his brother mattered more than his own health.

"Ok, put this on," Bobby said, handing him Sam's hoodie and dropping his shoes on the floor. "I'll grab your coat while you work on that." He was shivering so it felt good to put on Sam's hoodie, and he was actually looking forward to putting his coat on too. "Dean, c'mon, try to focus," Bobby said, walking back in. "We've gotta get your shoes on before we go."

"I'm not a kid…" Dean grumbled.

"Dean, you're just sitting there," Bobby said.

He grumbled a little more, but finally started to get his shoes on. Bobby helped him get into his coat, and then gently pulled on his arm to get him up. He let Bobby help him to the car since he knew it would take him a while to get there on his own, and then they were finally on their way to the hospital.

* * *

"Jody, you don't have to stay with us," Sam said. "One of the nurses can watch Alec until Dean gets here while I get a scan done."

"No, I've got him," Jody reassured. She loved being around Alec. Ever since Halloween she'd felt a little lighter, a little less trapped in despair. And when Alec yelled her name and ran to her in the store…she hadn't been that happy since before her son died. "We'll find the play area while we wait." She had picked Alec up to get him out of his car seat, but then he hadn't wanted down. She got a feeling the little boy didn't actually walk around unless that was part of a game he was playing. "How does that sound, Alec?"

"Good," Alec said. He shook the snow globe he was holding and held it out to her, "Look Jody, it's snowing."

"That's really cool, Alec," Jody said.

"Uncle Sammy got it for me," Alec said. "He said we could put up a Christmas tree at home too."

"That's really neat," Jody said.

"Jody, if you get tired or you need to leave-"

"Sam, I've got him," Jody cut off. She patted Sam's leg and reassured, "We'll see you when they bring you back, ok?"

Sam smiled and nodded before he said, "Alec, be good for Jody, ok?

"Where are you going?" Alec asked in concern.

"They've gotta get a scan of my shoulder to make sure everything's ok, but then I'll be back," Sam said. "Jody's gonna look after you until I get back, ok?"

"Ok…" Alec said.

"We'll be back," Jody said with a smile as she carried Alec out of the curtained area.

Alec turned in her arms and looked back where they had left Sam. "Jody…"

"Everything's ok, honey," Jody said. "We're going to look for the play area if that's ok. Or we can go to the cafeteria and get a snack."

"Why can't we stay with Uncle Sammy?" Alec asked.

"Well, Uncle Sammy's going to get his shoulder fixed up," Jody said.

"But who's going to hold Uncle Sammy's hand when they fix him?" Alec asked.

She held Alec closer to herself; he was so good and warm, she just wanted to keep him forever. "Uncle Sammy's going to be ok," Jody said. "Maybe one of the nurses will hold his hand if he needs it."

"I want my Daddy," Alec whispered, his little lip quivering.

"I know sweetie, but he'll be here soon," Jody said. "Let's go to the cafeteria to get a snack, ok? Maybe they have some cookies or something."

Alec rested against her shoulder as she carried him to the cafeteria. He was starting to get heavy in her arms, but she couldn't put him down. He'd been through a traumatic experience and he hadn't even realized it yet. If she put him down, she was afraid it would all suddenly hit him and he'd be scared.

"Look, they do have cookies," Jody said, rubbing Alec's back. "Which one is your favorite? Sugar cookies, chocolate chip, oatmeal…"

"Chocolate chip," Alec whispered. "I want to go back…"

"Ok, we'll head back," Jody said, grabbing Alec a couple cookies and a carton of milk. "We'll still have to wait for Uncle Sammy, but this way we'll be right there as soon as your Daddy gets here."

Alec nodded and snuggled against her neck, so she walked back to the waiting area. She held Alec on her lap, which was a relief for her arms, and gave him one of the cookies to eat. He shook his head though and gave her the cookie back. "I don't feel good," Alec mumbled.

"Do you want some milk?" Jody asked.

"No…"

"Ok, just relax and before you know it, your Daddy will be here," Jody whispered. She ran her fingers through his hair and rubbed his chest soothingly as they waited.

* * *

He wanted to run into the hospital to get to his little boy faster, but he couldn't. He had to wait for Bobby to come around to his side of the car and help him up, and he could only walk so fast. He just wanted to get to Alec and make sure his little boy and his little brother were both safe.

It took forever to get inside, but once they did, he scanned the room to try to find Alec.

"Over there," Bobby said, spotting them before he did. "Jody's got him."

He broke out of Bobby's helping support and practically ran over to where Jody was sitting with Alec in her lap.

"He fell asleep just a little while ago," Jody whispered, slowly standing up with Alec in her arms. He reached out and carefully took his boy back. He held him close and closed his eyes in relief when his soft breath hit his neck.

"Thank you," Dean breathed out. "Thank you for watching him."

Jody smiled, "I'm happy to do it."

"Dean, you need to sit down," Bobby said. "If you're gonna hold him, then you need to sit. Your boy's heavy and you're sick."

"Alright, alright," Dean grumbled, taking up the chair next to the one Jody had been sitting in. He shifted Alec so he was lying across his lap, but he still kept him close. "How's Sam? Is he ok?" Dean asked once he got his little boy situated.

"They took him to get a scan, but he should be done pretty soon," Jody said. "He was hit in his left shoulder, but the doctors thought he should be ok." She reached into her pocked, and then held out a little snow globe to him. "This is Alec's. He said Sam got it for him and there's another one in your car that Mitch gave him."

He handed Bobby the little snow globe to put in his bag they had brought. He thought Alec would want a few of his things in case they had to stay at the hospital overnight. He hoped Sam was well enough to go back home, but the doctors might want to keep him around for observation.

"Here's his blankie," Bobby said, pulling the soft blanket out of the bag after he put the snow globe in. "I'll give ya Teddy once he wakes up."

He wrapped Alec up in his blanket and held him again. He still didn't feel good, but at least he knew for sure that Alec was safe.

"Jody, Sam's back if Alec wants to see him," a nurse said. She was a petite woman with light blonde hair and warm, hazel eyes. She had a nice smile and her scrubs had little smiley faces all over them.

Jody stood up, and he quickly followed. "Mel, this is Dean, Sam's brother and Alec's father. And you know Bobby Singer."

"Well, Sam's ready for some visitors," Mel said. "He's been asking where Alec is."

"We'd like to see him," Bobby said with a smile.

"Follow me," Mel said, leading the way back through the double doors.

Alec rubbed his face suddenly on his shoulder to get more comfortable. He rubbed Alec's back and reassured, "Everything's ok, Alec, we're just goin' to see Uncle Sammy."

Alec gasped though and shot up to look at him. "Daddy!" Alec yelled, throwing his arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. "Daddy, I missed you!"

He chuckled, "I missed you too."

"Daddy, Daddy, Uncle Sammy-we were at the store looking for a toy and, and Uncle Sammy, he, well, we were about to leave when these two guys came in and they were yelling and it was really scary but Uncle Sammy told me to get down and then he shot one guy but then the other guy shot him at the same time that Mitch shot him!" Alec said as fast as he could. Part of it didn't hardly make any sense at all, but he understood most of it. "And then Jody came and she took us to the hospital because Uncle Sammy was bleeding but then we had to go somewhere else because they had to take Uncle Sammy somewhere, but Jody said Uncle Sammy was going to be ok."

"We're actually going to see Uncle Sammy right now," Dean said.

Alec rested his head against his shoulder again and whispered, "Daddy, I was really scared."

His arms tightened around his little boy and he kissed the side of his head, "It's ok to be scared. But it sounds like you did just the right thing by listening to Uncle Sammy."

"Daddy, do you feel better?" Alec asked, easily switching to the next thing that had popped into his head.

"A little bit," Dean hedged. "I'm gonna need to take another nap here pretty soon."

"I'll take a nap with you," Alec said, giving him another hug.

"Thanks Alec," Dean whispered. He was so glad his little boy was ok. He wasn't going to let go of him for a while since he was afraid he would lose him if he did. Now he just needed to make sure Sam really was ok, and then maybe they could get back home so he could go to sleep.

"Daddy, look, the lady's back," Alec said, tapping on his shoulder.

"Lady? What lady?" Dean asked turning to see who Alec was talking about. But he didn't see anyone except for Bobby, Jody, and Mel. "Do you mean Mel? Because she's been here this whole time."

"No Daddy, look," Alec said, pointing back where they had come.

He looked, but no one was there, "I don't see anyone, kiddo."

"She's really pretty, Daddy. She's got long red hair," Alec said. "She just smiled at me!" Alec waved and his face lit up after a moment. "She's waving now! Daddy, look!"

His heart pounded; there was something here that only Alec could see. Something was after his little boy and he couldn't protect him if he couldn't see what it was. "Don't wave at her, baby, she might be bad."

"But Daddy, she's so pretty," Alec said.

"Alec, I mean it," Dean said, shifting Alec so he couldn't see behind him. "Don't look at her, ok?"

"Ok…" Alec sad, his voice sad.

"And here we are," Mel said, holding open a curtain and revealing his brother.

Sam's face lit up when he saw them; his left arm was in a sling, but other than that he looked pretty good. "Hey," Sam said with a smile.

"Uncle Sammy!" Alec yelled reaching for him. Dean kept his hold on his little boy, but he held him out so Sam could give him a one-armed hug before he held him again. "Uncle Sammy, did they fix your arm?" Alec asked.

"Yeah buddy, they fixed my arm. It's just going to be sore for a while," Sam said.

"Did it hurt? Did you cry?" Alec asked quickly.

Sam laughed and shook his head no, "No buddy, they numbed my arm so it didn't hurt, and no, I didn't cry."

"Did someone hold your hand?" Alec asked.

"No, no one held my hand," Sam said with a wide smile.

"I would've held your hand," Alec said.

"Thanks Alec," Sam said, and then he looked at him and asked, "Are you alright? How're you feeling?"

"I'm alright, Sammy," Dean said, trying hard to not roll his eyes at his brother. "You need anything? You want somethin' to drink or somethin'?"

"I'm alright," Sam said, holding up a cup of water. "Doctor said I could leave in a few hours."

"Dean, if you wanna take Alec home, I'll bring Sam when he's cleared," Bobby said.

"Daddy, I want to stay with Uncle Sammy," Alec said, playing with his collar.

"Ok, we can stay with Uncle Sammy," Dean said.

"I've gotta get back to work," Jody said. She walked over to him and ran her hand through Alec's hair. "I'll see you later, ok?"

"You're leaving?" Alec asked in distress.

"She's gotta work, Alec. She can't stick around here forever," Dean tried to explain.

"But I'll see you again," Jody reassured. Alec reached out for her and gave her a hug before she could leave. "I'll see you boys again soon," Jody said.

"We're gonna be putting up Christmas stuff soon if you want to come by," Bobby said.

Jody smiled and nodded, saying that she would, before she left. Bobby found them some chairs so they could sit down and wait for Sam to get cleared.

* * *

"Uncle Sammy, look," Alec said, holding out his snow globe to him. They were home again, and Bobby had ordered Dean to go upstairs to sleep. His brother was dragging after their trip to the hospital and the mountain of worry that had nearly crushed him when he didn't know if he or Alec were ok. Dean was still sick and that hadn't helped matters at all.

"It's snowing," Sam said with a smile. Alec was sitting on his lap in the living room as they watched TV. His nephew had been put out when he couldn't carry him from Dean's room back to the living room, but he'd quickly gotten over it as soon as he could sit on his lap and show him his new toys. Alec stood up suddenly to balance on his legs. He usually played this game with Dean, but he couldn't catch Alec if he fell since his left arm was in a sling. "Alec, you gotta sit down, buddy. I can't catch you if you fall."

"I won't fall," Alec said simply. He kept his right hand on Alec's back as his nephew bounced on his legs. "Uncle Sammy, does your arm hurt?"

"They gave me some medicine so it wouldn't hurt," Sam said.

"Can I see it?" Alec asked, suddenly serious. He'd stopped bouncing and his green eyes looked too old for his young face. He wondered how much Alec saw at Manticore and what they did to him since he was only two-years-old.

"How 'bout I show you when I change the bandage? How does that sound?" Sam suggested.

"Ok," Alec said.

"Alec, how much do you remember from the bad place?" Sam asked, deciding to take a chance. Dean refused to bring it up, but he wanted to know how much Alec remembered. Maybe he could help him if he knew more.

Alec's eyes darkened, and then he admitted, "A lot…"

"Did they hurt you?" Sam asked softly. Alec nodded and slowly sat in his lap again, but facing him. He brushed Alec's soft hair away from his forehead and decided he didn't need to know any more unless Alec wanted to talk about it.

"Daddy said I shouldn't play with guns because I might get hurt," Alec whispered.

"Yeah, guns can be dangerous if you don't know what you're doing," Sam said, unsure why Alec brought that up.

"People are dangerous," Alec muttered with his head down. "I'm dangerous…"

Sam frowned; Alec was two, he shouldn't be feeling like this, especially since he and Dean hoped that he hadn't been through too much bad before he was brought to them. "Alec…why do you think you're dangerous?"

"I hurt people…" Alec whispered.

He pulled Alec closer with his good arm and held him. "They made you," Sam finally said.

Alec shook his head no, "I was scared and I tried to get away and I hurt them. I didn't mean to…I just didn't want to go back and get hurt again."

"It's ok, Alec," Sam murmured.

"I don't wanna go back," Alec whispered.

"Me and your Dad are going to make sure that never happens," Sam reassured. "We'll keep you safe."

Alec moved so he could snuggle against his side, and he wrapped his arm around his little nephew. "I love you, Uncle Sammy."

"I love you too," Sam said, kissing the top of Alec's head.

* * *

 _More soon..._


	12. Chapter 12

_Hey guys! This is a little early, but I wanted to be sure I got this up in time. Merry Christmas everyone!_

* * *

Sam watched as Dean helped Alec onto the ice. Neither one was very steady on the skates, but Alec actually picked it up faster than Dean did. Alec slowly moved away from Dean, but his brother was telling Alec to come back. Alec started to turn, but lost his balance and fell on his butt. He chuckled as Dean wobbled over to Alec, and ended up falling too.

"Not really one of his strengths, is it?" Bobby asked with a smile. He held out a cup and he gladly took it. "Thought this would keep us warm until they decided they were done."

"Y'know, we've never ice skated before," Sam said. Luckily, his arm was still in a sling because of his shoulder, so he didn't have to fall on his butt over and over again like his brother did. He had an excuse to stay off of the ice and he gladly took it.

"And you think I have?" Bobby asked.

Sam laughed, "No, I can't really see you ice skating."

"Can't believe Alec talked him into this," Bobby said. They both laughed as Alec and Dean fell again. Alec had begged and begged for Dean to take him ice skating as soon as Dean felt better. And Dean had caved since he could never tell Alec no.

"Have you seen Alec's puppy-dog eyes?" Sam asked sarcastically. "I'm surprised he held out as long as he did."

Dean held Alec's hands as they both slowly skated around the rink. Alec was all bundled up with a scarf, stocking hat, and gloves, and Dean was dressed similarly. Their cheeks were red from the cold, but it didn't look like they were going to stop anytime soon.

"Bobby, I think something's after Alec," Sam said as he watched Dean and Alec's slow progress.

"What do you mean?" Bobby asked.

"At the store, before those guys came in, Alec saw someone and I couldn't see it," Sam said. "So, either the store was haunted or something's after Alec."

"What did he see?" Bobby asked calmly.

"He said he saw a woman with long red hair. He said she was really pretty," Sam said. "I couldn't see her at all, which is weird if it's a spirit."

"I'll look into it," Bobby said. "Just make sure either you or Dean are with him at all times, ya hear? We'll have to tell Dean what's goin' on."

He nodded in agreement, and then said, "I just want to make sure this is the best Christmas he's ever had."

"We will," Bobby said with a small smile.

"Uncle Sammy, look!" Alec yelled, waving at him. His nephew was giving him the biggest smile, and so was Dean. "Look! We're ice skating!"

"You're doin' great!" Sam yelled back. He loved times like this and he wanted it to last. He didn't want anything to hurt Alec.

"We'll figure it out," Bobby reassured, seeing his smile drop. "Let's just focus on giving Alec the best Christmas ever before we completely freak out."

* * *

"Uncle Sammy's the best," Dean said, carrying Alec over to Sam and Bobby. They still had their ice skates on, but he'd change out of them once they got to their shoes. For now, he wanted to get warmed up since they were both shivering. Alec's little cheeks were red and he was snuggled against his chest, trying to get warmer. Sam handed him a cup of hot chocolate and held it out for Alec. His little boy took the cup and sipped the chocolate. "Good, huh?"

Alec nodded, and leaned against him.

"What d'you say we go home, and then put up the Christmas tree?" Dean asked.

"Ok," Alec said.

"Let's get our real shoes on again," Dean said, walking over to the closest bench and sitting down with Alec in his lap. Sam handed him their shoes and he worked on getting Alec's tiny ice skates off.

"Daddy, that was fun," Alec said, starting to wiggle in his lap. Alec could only sit still for so long before he decided he needed to move. Even for a little kid, Alec had a lot of energy and he blamed it on his fast metabolism.

"That was fun," Dean agreed. "Sit still for just a few more minutes, ok?"

"Daddy, can we play in the snow when we get home?" Alec asked.

"Alec, we just played outside for almost three hours," Dean said. "I'm freezing and you are too. We can play in the snow tomorrow, ok?"

"But Daddy," Alec whined.

"No Alec. We're staying in the rest of the night," Dean said.

"Alec, we're gonna put up the Christmas tree when we get home," Sam said to try to cheer him up. "That'll be fun, won't it?"

"I guess…" Alec said, looking down.

Jeez, he just wanted to give his kid anything he ever wanted. But, Alec was cold even if he wouldn't admit it. He kissed the top of Alec's head once he got his shoes back on, and then changed his own. He hadn't let Alec out of his sight since what happened at the store, and he barely let him out of his arms. He'd never felt so scared in his life when Bobby said Sam and Alec were at the hospital. And he couldn't shake the feeling that something was still after Alec.

He hadn't told Sam or Bobby yet that Alec had seen a spirit of some sort, but he didn't know how to tell them. They hadn't been hunting since before Alec had been turned into a kid and he liked having a break. He hoped maybe the spirit was just at the hospital, but he'd caught Alec looking at something that wasn't there more than once in the past week. Whatever it was, it wasn't getting his little boy.

"Alright kiddo, time to get warm," Dean said once he had his shoes on. He stood up and tossed Alec up a little ways before he caught him again. Alec giggled and told him to do it again, so he did, making Alec laugh even more. Alec put his hands on his face when he didn't immediately toss him again. "Jeez Alec, you're freezing! Where did your gloves go?"

"I don't know…" Alec mumbled.

He held Alec with one arm and held both of his tiny hands in one of his and held them to try to get them warm again. "Put your hands in your pockets, ok? You don't want your fingers falling off."

"Daddy, my fingers won't fall off," Alec argued.

"Yes they will," Dean said. "That's what happens when you don't wear your gloves."

"I dropped them," Alec said, wrapping his arms around his neck and snuggling against him.

"You're not getting outta this with your cute act," Dean warned. "Gloves cost money, and when you lose something, then we have to replace it. But we don't have a lot of money, so it's important to keep track of our things."

"I'm sorry," Alec whispered.

"It's ok. Now you know to be more careful," Dean said.

"C'mon boys," Bobby called out from the car. Thankfully, he'd gone ahead and started the car so it would be warm when they got there. "We're wastin' daylight."

"Grandpa's impatient today, huh?" Dean asked, looking at Alec. He giggled and nodded, knowing he wasn't in trouble anymore.

He sat in the back with Alec and let Bobby drive back to the house. He didn't even want to leave Alec's side to drive anymore…

He and Alec played with his toys on the way back, but he went on alert as soon as they pulled into the driveway. He could tell Sam and Bobby were tense too, so he craned his neck to see what was wrong.

"Looks like we've got company…" Bobby muttered, slowing down to park.

"You recognize the car?" Dean asked.

"No, but that don't mean anything," Bobby said. "Hunters have to switch it up sometimes…could be anybody…" He looked back at them and said, "I'll go in first and see who it is. If it's nobody good, then I'll let you know so you can head back to town until I get rid of 'em."

Dean nodded, so Bobby shut off the car, leaving the keys in the ignition, and got out. Sam started to move to get out, but Bobby leaned down and said, "Not you. Stay put until I give you boys the all clear."

"Bobby-" Sam started, but was cut off by Bobby shutting the door and walking away. Sam huffed and sat back in his seat, but he didn't say anything. Dean was glad Bobby didn't let Sam go too. Sam was still hurting from the attack in the store, and he shouldn't be barging in on whoever was at Bobby's now.

"Who d'you think's here?" Dean asked.

"I don't know…" Sam muttered. "Could be someone from the Valley for all we know."

"Daddy?" Alec asked softly.

"Everything's ok, baby," Dean reassured, holding Alec's little hand. "We just weren't expecting anyone…"

"Dean, there's Bobby," Sam said. "Looks like he's giving us the all clear."

"Must be someone we know," Dean said to Alec. He smiled to try to help reassure him, but Alec didn't smile back. "I'm not goin' anywhere, ok?" He said, carefully unbuckling his little boy from his car seat. Alec reached for him once he was free, and he picked him up and held him close.

He slid out of the car and followed behind Sam, even though he felt like he should go in first. He wanted to protect Sam, but protecting Alec came first.

"Now don't freak out," he could hear Bobby saying. "He's a shy kid, and you yellin' ain't gonna help anything."

"I don't yell, Bobby."

Dean almost groaned; he recognized the voice as Rufus Turner. Alec did great around Mole, but he was different with everyone. He didn't now if Alec would be scared of Rufus or if he'd immediately like him. "Alec, this guy in here, he's not scary, ok?" Dean whispered to his little boy. "He's loud and he sounds scary, kinda like Grandpa, but he's not."

"Ok…" Alec said, still sounding uncertain.

He walked into the kitchen and saw Rufus and Bobby standing by the counter, still arguing over if Rufus yelled or not. Sam cleared his throat and said, "Hey Rufus, long time no see…"

Rufus grunted and turned to look at Sam. His eyebrows rose and he asked, "I thought there was supposed to be a kid around here?"

Dean took a deep breath and took a step out from behind Sam. "There is," Dean said.

"Holy shit," Rufus breathed out.

"Seriously?" Sam asked, giving Rufus his famous bitch-face. "We're trying to teach him not to curse."

Rufus glared back at Sam, "What did you expect?! I'm guessin' that's Alec, 'cause he looks just like Dean, and his six foot, transgenic ass ain't standing behind you two, so that's gotta be him. So yeah. Holy shit."

Alec giggled hearing the bad word again. Sam was trying really hard to get him and Bobby to stop cursing in front of Alec, but sometimes he couldn't help it. And Bobby could say whatever he wanted, but Sam was still trying. He told Alec most of the time not to say whatever he'd let slip, but sometimes he forgot that they needed to set a good example for Alec.

Rufus smiled hearing Alec giggle and took a step towards them. "Can I hold him?" Rufus asked, looking up at him.

He rolled his eyes; he didn't know why seeing a cute little kid turned the grumpiest old men into real softies, but Alec just had that effect on people. He looked down at Alec, who smiled back and reached for Rufus.

"You're definitely still my favorite Winchester," Rufus said, bouncing Alec slightly to make him giggle again. "You're not a butthead like those other two…"

"You said butt," Alec said with a laugh. The word butt could always make Alec laugh. He didn't know why he thought it was so funny, but most kids thought that word was funny.

Rufus laughed and nodded, "I guess that's part of Sam's approved vocabulary, huh?"

"Rufus," Sam sighed.

Rufus rolled his eyes and turned away from Sam. "How would you like to go down the road with me? Huh?"

"Rufus, I don't think that's a good idea," Bobby said before he could completely panic.

"Oh, c'mon Bobby. I saw a sign that your neighbor had some puppies," Rufus said. "Don't you wanna see some puppies?"

"Yeah!" Alec yelled.

"Sounds like Alec's on board," Rufus said. "We'll be back."

"Rufus," Dean said, trying to control the panic that was tightening his chest. Rufus turned to look at him and saw the panic in his eyes.

"Well Hell, you guys can come too," Rufus said. "Maybe we can pick out a puppy for the little guy."

"Rufus, he ain't getting a puppy," Bobby said. "Don't get the kid's hopes up."

"I'll get him a puppy," Rufus muttered under his breath. "I'm goin'. If you guys wanna come, then get your asses in gear."

Dean sighed, but followed Rufus back out of the house. He wouldn't be able to let Alec just go without him. He felt ridiculous, but he couldn't ignore this feeling that if Alec got too far away from him, he'd lose him.

He and Sam walked side-by-side, walking a few steps behind Rufus and Bobby. Alec was telling Rufus some kind of story, but they couldn't hear what he was saying.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets to try to keep his hands warm as they walked. "Don't know why we had to walk…" Dean grumbled to break the silence.

"I guess it's just right down the road," Sam muttered. "Are you really going to let him have a puppy?"

He shrugged, "I don't know…maybe. He's hard to say no to…"

"Aren't you allergic to dogs?" Sam asked.

"I'm allergic to cats, not dogs," Dean said.

They walked in silence for a moment, but then Sam asked, "You wanna talk about whatever's bugging you?"

"No."

"Dean, c'mon man, I know something's wrong and I know it's somethin' to do with Alec," Sam said. "I know it freaked you out when I got hurt and you weren't around, but he's ok."

"Sam…something's after him," Dean finally admitted. "He's seeing something that I can't see…"

"You know about that?" Sam asked, surprised.

"Wait, you know?!" Dean asked back. He couldn't help sounding a little mad. Sam knew something was after Alec and he didn't tell him. That pissed him off.

"I was going to tell you," Sam instantly tried to explain. "I just didn't know how."

"I don't know," Dean said sarcastically. "How 'bout, dude, somethin's after your kid. We should find a way to stop it!"

"Dean, calm down," Sam hissed, shooting a worried look to where Bobby, Rufus, and Alec were walking. Alec was still telling the two older men a story, so he didn't notice their argument. "I just wanted things to calm down a little bit before I told you. I wanted Alec to have a Christmas."

He took a deep breath and let it out, "You're right…I just don't want anything to happen to him."

"We'll figure out what Alec's seeing and we'll take care of it," Sam said. "We're not letting anything get to him."

He nodded, "Yeah…I know."

"We better catch up," Sam said, seeing that Bobby, Rufus, and Alec had reached a driveway. "Otherwise, we'll have a two-year-old and a puppy to take care of."

"Sounds like a bad idea when you put it like that," Dean muttered.

They sped up a little so they could catch up with the rest of them. He and Sam got there just in time to see Alec fall over, having been tackled by a pack of puppies. They were fluffy with black and white fur, pointy ears, and a long tail.

"Daddy!" Alec yelled, laughing. He was being attacked by puppies. They were licking him all over his face and trying to get on top of him. Dean laughed as he watched his little boy get up, only to be knocked over again. One managed to get on top of Alec and licked all over his face.

"There's no way we're leaving here without one," Sam said with a small smile.

Dean rolled his eyes, but made his way over to Alec to try and save him. He got Alec out of the dog pile and help him up to a safe height. "Daddy, can I have one?" Alec asked as sweetly as he could.

"Alec, puppies are a lot of work," Dean said, trying one more time to convince Alec he didn't need a puppy. He looked at his little boy who was giving him his puppy-dog eyes. Maybe Alec did need a puppy. It wasn't even because his little boy was so cute and he couldn't say no to him, but it was more about Manticore. Alec never got to have anything to call his own and he knew he had PTSD. Maybe this would be a kind of therapy for him.

"Please Daddy?" Alec begged.

He sighed, "Alright, pick one out." Maybe it would make a good watch dog. Alec threw his arms around his neck and gave him a big, sloppy kiss. He hugged Alec back, knowing he made the right choice. "Which one do you want, kiddo?" Dean asked.

He set Alec down again and he turned to watch the puppies as they ran around him. Most of the puppies ran off to check on what Rufus, Sam, and Bobby were doing, but one puppy ran over to Alec and looked up at him, wagging its tail. Alec dropped down to his knees and hugged the little puppy. This one's ears and tail were black, but the rest of it was completely white. It licked Alec's face as soon as he hugged him, and he knew that was going to be the one.

He picked up his little boy and the little puppy and carried them both over to where Bobby, Sam, and Rufus were talking to an older woman. She smiled at them when they walked up and said, "Looks like you found one."

Dean nodded, "Yeah, this is the one he wants. How much is it?"

"That's the runt, so you've got him for free," the woman said.

"Seriously?" Dean asked in surprise.

The woman smiled and nodded, "Can't usually get rid of the runt, so you're doin' me a favor."

"Thank you," Dean said. He looked at Alec and asked, "Do you think you can hold him?"

"Yeah," Alec said, holding his hands out to take the puppy. He passed the little guy over, but kept his hand over there just in case Alec dropped him. But Alec held him close and the puppy licked him, wagging his tail the whole time.

"What're you gonna name him?" Dean asked.

Alec thought for a minute, and then said, "Mushu!"

Dean laughed and nodded, "Mushu it is." Mulan was Alec's new favorite Disney movie, so they'd watched it just about every day the past two weeks.

"You ready to take the rugrat home?" Bobby asked.

"Yeah, I think we're ready," Dean said. He looked to Rufus and grumbled, "Thanks a lot, Rufus."

"Hey, you wanted him to have a good Christmas," Rufus said with a shrug.

* * *

Dean sat down and let out a tired huff of air. The tree was up and the presents were wrapped and they were finally ready for Christmas. They were a little late with everything since tomorrow was Christmas, but better late than never.

He looked over at Alec, who was curled up on the sofa, holding his sleeping puppy against him. He chuckled; his puppy name Mushu. He was glad Alec had a friend now. He'd probably never have a little brother or sister, but a puppy would be a pretty good friend. It wouldn't be the same, but it was close.

"He finally fell asleep, huh?" Rufus asked, walking in and sitting down in the recliner.

"Yeah, they wore out at the same time," Dean said. He reached over and petted the puppy's soft fur before he ruffled Alec's hair.

"So, how'd this happen?" Rufus asked. He was surprised the older man hadn't asked sooner, but Alec had been pretty distracting most of the day.

He shrugged, "Don't know. We were hunting…we went into this house and we found him like this."

"How long's he been like this?" Rufus asked.

"Since June," Dean answered. It hardly felt like any time at all, even though they'd already been through so much.

"You lookin' for a way to change him back, or is this it?" Rufus asked. He glared at Rufus, just daring the man to question his decision for his little boy. Rufus held his hands up in surrender and said, "I'm not tellin' ya either way on what to do, I just wanna know."

"I wanna keep him like this," Dean said.

Rufus nodded in understanding. "Haven't been around a kid in a long time…"

"He's the best thing that's ever happened to me," Dean admitted.

Alec started to wake, and looked over at him, "Daddy, is it Christmas yet?"

"Not yet, kiddo," Dean said with a smile, rubbing Alec's back. "Go back to sleep, ok?"

"Ok…" Alec started to go back to sleep, but then woke up again. "Daddy, can Mushu sleep with us tonight."

"Yeah, Mushu can sleep with us," Dean said. Alec picked Mushu up and moved so they could snuggle against him. He grabbed Alec and his puppy and pulled them both into his lap. He stretched out on the sofa, keeping Alec and the puppy against his chest. "You better get some sleep. Alec's gonna be up at the crack of dawn," Dean told Rufus. He would just take Alec and Mushu upstairs, but it was only a few more hours until dawn anyway and he knew Alec's excitement would have him up early.

He was right; Alec was up at the crack of dawn with an overexcited puppy. He took the puppy outside while Alec went around and woke everyone else up. He made Alec sit on the sofa though, so the grownups could get coffee.

"Daddy! Is it time for Christmas now?" Alec yelled from the living room.

"Not yet, kiddo," Dean said. "We've gotta wait for Jody to get here."

"Ok," Alec said.

"She is on her way, right?" Dean asked Bobby. He didn't know how much longer he could keep Alec from ripping into his presents. He, Sam, and Bobby hadn't been able to get him much, but he had a few presents under the tree and one big surprise that he couldn't wait to show him.

"Should be here in just a few," Bobby said, pouring coffee into five mugs, one for each of them plus one for when Jody got there.

Thankfully, the doorbell rang just a few minutes later, and Jody walked into the room. Alec plowed into her, giving her a huge hug. Mushu was right behind him, jumping up to Jody's legs to get some attention.

"I see Christmas came early," Jody said with a smile. She picked Alec up and asked, "Who's your new friend?"

"Mushu! Daddy let me have him," Alec said.

"I think it was your Uncle Rufus, kid," Rufus said from the doorway to the kitchen. "I'm the one that gave your Daddy the idea."

Alec nodded, "Uncle Rufus got me Mushu."

Jody chuckled and hugged Alec close. "You ready to open some presents?"

"Yes!"

Jody let Alec down so he and Mushu could run over to the tree. Alec sat in front of the presents and waited for the rest of them to come over. Dean held out a mug of Coffee for Jody, which she took, but she also handed him a present. "It's for Alec…I didn't know what he'd like, but maybe he'll like this."

"Jody, you didn't have to get him anything," Dean said.

"I wanted to," Jody said, patting his arm. "So, a two-year-old and a puppy?"

"I don't know what I was thinking," Dean said with a smile.

"He's happy, that's all that matters," Jody said knowingly.

"Dean, I can't hold him off for much longer," Sam teased, drawing their attention. He and Jody walked over and sat on the sofa. Alec looked to him to see if it was ok, and he nodded back.

Alec carefully picked up the first present and ran over to him. He handed him the gift and asked, "Is it mine?"

Dean smiled, "Yeah Alec, this one's yours. See…" He pointed to the tag and showed Alec where his name was. "That's what you have to look for, ok?"

Alec nodded, but then asked, "Can I open it?"

"Yes, you can open it," Dean said. Alec gave him a huge smile, but instead of just ripping into it, he carefully pulled the tape off of the wrapping paper so he didn't rip it. "Alec, you can tear the paper."

"But it's pretty," Alec said.

"Ok, you can open it however you want," Dean said.

Alec finally got the rest of the paper off and his eyes lit up when he saw the hot wheels set. "This is for me?" Alec asked.

"Yeah kiddo, that's for you," Dean said.

They went through the same process for the six other presents Alec got. His little boy couldn't believe all the toys he was getting. He'd never had a Christmas before, so this was probably one of the best days ever for him.

"Alec, I've got one more present for you," Dean said, once Alec had opened all of his presents. Alec looked up at him, so he said, "Close your eyes." Alec did what he was told, so he ran out of the room and rolled in the child sized car they had gotten for him. "Ok, open your eyes," Dean said.

Alec gasped when he saw the car, and immediately ran over to him. "This is for me?"

"Yeah Alec, this is for you," Dean said, ruffling Alec's hair. "You wanna go for a ride?"

"Yes!"

He picked Alec up and sat him in the driver's seat before he pushed him all around the room. Alec laughed and waved at the others as they moved around. He knew this had been a great Christmas for Alec, but it had been the best Christmas for him too.

"Again Daddy! Again!" Alec yelled.

He smiled as he drove Alec around the house again and again, with Mushu chasing after them. This had been the perfect Christmas.

* * *

 _Hope you guys liked it!_


	13. Chapter 13

It was just a normal day; he and Alec were taking a walk through the woods, the same walk they took on most days, with Alec's hand held in his, and Mushu's leash held in his other hand. But there were about one million things he should have done. Just doing one thing differently could have changed everything.

"Alec!" Dean yelled, desperate to find his son. It was pouring, the rain freezing his skin and the water rising around him. He was barely staying afloat, clinging to a piece of driftwood while searching the water. The rain had started, the water had risen, Mushu had gotten scared and run off, Alec had chased after him, and then disappeared over the side of the bank. He'd sprinting after his little boy, only to fall in after him.

"Ale-" He choked as water plunged into his mouth. He coughed, trying to get his lungs to cooperate. He had to find Alec; he had to get to him and take him home. He couldn't lose Alec. This couldn't be how this ended. He wouldn't be able to function without Alec.

His head dropped below the water again, but he managed to surface after a moment and breathe again. He prayed Alec wasn't in this. He prayed Alec had made it to the bank and was safe. He knew he'd be scared, but he would find him as soon as he could get out of the water.

But that was easier said than done. He had tried to get to the bank a few times, but the current was too strong. His arms and legs were weak from treading water for so long, and every so often water would slap him in the face and he'd choke, causing another coughing fit. He just needed to find Alec.

He grunted in pain as something heavy suddenly plowed into him. His head dropped below the water again, and he struggled to force his way back to the surface. But the tree limb that had hit him was keeping him down. His lungs begged him for air; his breath had been knocked out of him before he'd gone underwater, and now he didn't have anything left.

But he had to fight. He had to get out of here so he could find Alec. He had to.

He stopped fighting the current and let it pull him further downstream, away from the limb. He kicked for the surface, gasping in a huge breath as soon as his head broke the surface. He had to keep fighting. He had to find his little boy.

* * *

"Sam, you need to calm down," Bobby said. "Dean's not gonna let anything happen to Alec. They're probably on their way back right now."

"Bobby, it's freezing rain. They should've been back hours ago!" Sam yelled. It was March now; it was warm enough to take a walk, but not warm enough to stay out in the rain. He knew there was a storm coming; he shouldn't have let them take a walk. He should've mentioned something else that they could do. He was freaking out; his brother and his baby nephew were out in this weather when they should be home safe.

"Well, you ain't helpin' him by wearin' a hole in my carpet," Bobby grumbled.

"Have you looked outside?! Neither of them should be out in this! Alec's two! He should be tucked in right now!" Sam shouted, unwilling to let this go. He just wanted his brother and nephew back home, safe from this storm.

"So, what d'you wanna do?" Bobby asked sarcastically. "Grab some flashlights, head into the woods, walk around, gettin' soaked, maybe even get lost ourselves?" His eyes widened in panic; Bobby thought Dean and Alec were lost. "I'm not sayin' that," Bobby said, guessing at his rising panic. "They're probably on their way back right now."

"Alec hates thunderstorms," Sam said, ignoring Bobby's reasoning. "He's probably scared to death right now. And Dean's probably freaking out because Alec's out in this. They're both going to get sick!"

Bobby suddenly stood up and walked out of the room, only to come back a few seconds later carrying two coats and two flashlights. Bobby tossed his coat to him and said, "C'mon, if they're gonna get sick, then we should all get sick together."

He couldn't help his smile, he was going to go find Dean and Alec.

* * *

He collapsed once he was finally back on solid ground. He was bruised and battered, but he didn't know where his little boy was. It was still pouring, the freezing rain pelted his face and chilled him to the bone. He just wanted to find his little boy and go home.

He pushed himself up. He had to get moving; Alec had been out here for way too long. His little boy was going to be scared and freezing when he found him. He was going to find him, that much was certain. He was going to find him and he was going to be fine. He had to be fine.

Lightning lit up the sky again, and he quickly scanned the area to see if he could catch any sight of Alec. But he didn't see anything that could help him. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know if he should continue downstream to look for Alec or head upstream and hope he made it out of the water already.

"Alec!" Dean yelled. "Alec!"

He felt tears prick his eyes and his throat closed as despair washed over him. He didn't know where to look. He'd lost Alec. He'd lost his boy, his baby boy, who counted on him to keep him safe, who he protected with everything he had. This was all his fault. He should've checked the weather before they left, he should've turned around as soon as the first raindrop hit, he should've done _something_ different to keep his baby safe.

"C'mon Dean," he chastised himself. "Pull yourself together. You aren't helping Alec by fallin' to pieces."

He turned to look both directions to decide which way to go, but a glimpse of red hair made him freeze. There was someone downstream, a woman, with long red hair, and pale features. He took off without even having to think about it. Maybe she'd seen Alec, maybe Alec was with her. He wiped the water from his eyes, but when he looked back, the woman had disappeared.

He spun in a circle, trying to find her again, and breathed out in relief when he saw her further downstream. He started running again. He had to get to her. Alec's life depended on it.

* * *

"Dean!" Sam yelled. He could hardly see anything, even with the flashlight, but he wasn't going to give up. He had to find Dean and Alec.

"Dean!" Bobby yelled beside him.

They were both soaked, freezing, but determined to find Dean and Alec. He knew where Dean usually walked with Alec, but in this storm, his brother could have easily gotten turned around. He could hardly breathe; the panic was making it impossible for him to get a steadying breath, but he couldn't live without his brother or his nephew.

He couldn't even think about if something happened to Alec. His nephew was the best thing that had ever happened to them, and if he'd gotten hurt in this, got sick, or really any number of things…he couldn't imagine what that would do to them. They needed Alec, he was their baby, and they took care of him. If something happened to him, then none of them would ever get over it, especially not Dean. This would destroy his brother.

"Dean!" Sam yelled. He didn't know what else to do. He would just keep yelling and searching until they found them.

"Sam, maybe we should regroup," Bobby suggested. "We're both freezin' and Dean's not answerin'."

"I'm not giving up on them," Sam growled. "I'm staying out here until I find them."

"Let's at least call Jody," Bobby said. "Maybe she could get a search party goin', then we wouldn't have to do this by ourselves."

"You call, I'm going to keep looking," Sam said.

"Sam, we can barely see anything," Bobby tried to reason. "Maybe Dean circled back and made it to the house while we were out here. You know if he's at the house, then he's freaking out 'cause we aren't there."

"Call Jody, go back to the house, I don't care! I'm staying out here until I find them," Sam shouted. He couldn't believe Bobby wanted to give up on them. He wasn't leaving his brother and nephew out here, he wouldn't do it.

"Sam-"

"Wait, do you hear that?" Sam asked. He heard something jingle, but he couldn't see what was making that noise.

"Dean!" Bobby yelled.

"Dean!" Sam yelled too, praying that his brother would just appear out of nowhere, holding Alec in his arms. But his brother didn't appear out of thin air, Mushu did. He crouched down, and the little dog immediately ran up to him. "Hey boy, where's Dean and Alec?"

Mushu just whined and shook the water from his fur. Sam flinched away as the water from Mushu's fur hit him. Bobby crouched down too and picked up Mushu's leash. "Sam…"

"I know," Sam said, already knowing what Bobby was getting at. Mushu was alone, Dean wasn't with him, and neither was Alec. His nephew loved his dog so much, and he would never let him run away. Something was terribly wrong. "Call Jody."

* * *

He pushed himself up for the sixth time. His legs would barely hold him, he kept tripping over sticks and rocks, and he couldn't keep up with the woman with red hair. Part of him thought she was just a hallucination, but the other part of him hoped she would lead him to Alec.

He couldn't keep up though. His body was too weak, too cold to function like he should. He couldn't even imagine how Alec was doing. Alec was so little, he knew he wouldn't be able to survive out here for much longer, but he couldn't give up hope.

"Stop…" He begged. He needed to be able to keep up, but he wasn't sure she was even real. He didn't know why he thought she would bring him to his boy, but he couldn't stop thinking she was the answer to everything.

He collapsed again, but this time his arms weren't strong enough to push himself up again. Tears leaked down his cheeks; he'd failed Alec. His little boy was going to die because of him. Alec couldn't die; Alec was the best thing that had ever happened to him, that had happened to a lot of people. Alec had to be ok. And he was going to find him. He had to find him. He was Alec's only hope of getting out of here alive. He was the only one that knew what was going on.

He pushed himself up again, and this time he managed to get to his feet. He leaned against a tree to keep himself up, and searched the area again for the woman.

Spotting a flash of red hair again, he pushed off from the tree and took off again.

* * *

"Spread out," Jody instructed the group of volunteers. "They might or might not be able to answer, but Alec's two, and if he was separated from Dean, then he's probably scared out of his mind. We have paramedics on stand-by, so call them if you find either of them."

Sam felt his patience wearing thin as Jody told the group what to do. He knew he should be thankful for the help, but he just wanted to find his brother and nephew.

Everyone started to spread out and search the woods, but Jody walked over to him and Bobby. "We'll find them," Jody reassured. "It'll take a little time, but I know we'll find them."

"Thanks Jody," Bobby said. "Thanks for puttin' this all together and for comin' out here…"

"I'm happy to do it, Bobby," Jody said, patting his arm.

"C'mon Sam, let's get a move on," Bobby urged.

He nodded, too numb to think. He gently tugged on Mushu's leash to get him moving too. They were all freezing and soaked through, but he still wouldn't give up. Bobby patted his back before they spread apart just a little bit. He swept his flashlight back and forth, scanning the ground as he went. His hope of finding his brother and nephew both alive, and unharmed, was dwindling. There was no way they were both ok, not after all this time, not in this rain. He had to prepare himself for the worst, but he couldn't. He couldn't live without his family. For a long time he thought he could, but now he knew he couldn't.

"Sam, we can't give up," Bobby said. "We'll find them."

"Alive?" Sam asked, his voice rough.

"Sam, you listen here," Bobby said, grabbing his jacket and jerking him to a stop. "We're gonna find them, and they're gonna be fine. I'm not lettin' you give up, ya hear?"

"Yeah…" Sam muttered.

"We'll find them," Bobby said again.

He nodded and kept up a steady pace for the next couple hours. The rain let up finally, but he was still soaked and freezing, and it was still dark out. A shiver raced up his spine, but he tried his best to ignore it. If he started thinking about how cold he was, then he would think about how cold Dean and Alec must be.

He kicked a rock as he walked by the stream, its water still racing by even though the rain had stopped. He prayed Dean and Alec hadn't made it this far, this would be a dangerous place to be during a storm, but it was pretty far from where Dean and Alec normally walked. He kicked another rock, but then froze when he caught sight of something silver in the mud.

He knelt down and picked up the pocket knife that his brother always had.

His heart pounded as he realized his brother had been here. Dean had been here at some point… "Bobby!" Sam yelled, standing up again and searching for the older man.

"Yeah?" Bobby asked, slowly walking over to him. He held out his brother's pocket knife for him to see, which Bobby took. "Dean's been here…" Bobby scanned the ground and pointed to a footprint a few feet away. "And looks like he went that way."

Sam was running before he even knew what he was doing. Every so often he would see another footprint, and would know he was on the right track. He was concerned to see areas where it looked like someone had fallen, but he tried to put that at the back of his mind. He would deal with whatever injuries Dean and Alec had as soon as he found them.

"Dean!" Sam yelled.

* * *

Distantly, he could hear someone yell his name. He felt like he needed to respond to the urgency, the concern, he could hear in the voice, but he didn't have any strength left. He was past the point of being cold and was now just tired. He couldn't even lift his head…

"Dean, c'mon man, you gotta wake up," Sam begged. Sam, that's who was talking to him. He recognized his little brother's voice, and he knew he needed to answer him. "Dean, please." He forced his eyes open, and he immediately saw the relief in his brother's eyes. "Dean, thank God," Sam breathed. "The paramedics are on their way. Just hang in there, ok?"

"Sam…"

"Yeah Dean, I'm right here," Sam reassured. A violent shiver shot through him, and Sam immediately rubbed his shoulders. He just then realized he was more on his little brother than on the ground. He would be embarrassed except Sam's body heat was helping him focus. He still had to get to Alec.

"Alec…gotta find Alec," Dean mumbled.

"We'll find him," Sam said. "But you've gotta go to the hospital, ok? You've got hypothermia, three broken ribs, and a concussion. Me and Bobby will find Alec."

"I'm not goin' anywhere without him," Dean whispered.

"Dean…"

"Please Sam, I have to find him," Dean begged.

Sam looked like he wasn't going to agree, but then he was moving, helping him stand when his legs wouldn't hold him. Sam pulled his arm over his shoulders, and then asked, "Which way?"

"I've been heading downstream," Dean mumbled. He didn't want to mention the lady he'd been following for most of the night. He could chalk it up to his injuries, but he didn't think he should mention her to Sam right now.

"Dean, are you sure you won't just go to the hospital? I'm going to keep looking, ok? And I'll bring him to the hospital as soon as I find him," Sam said.

"No Sam, I have to find him," Dean said. "Where'd Bobby go?" He needed to keep himself distracted so he could keep moving. It was better now that he had Sam to lean against, but he was still barely moving. He knew he needed to go to the hospital, but he wouldn't leave his boy out here all alone. But he knew Alec would be in worse shape than he was. Alec was so little, he wouldn't be able to handle the freezing water or being out here all night. He had to be there when they found Alec.

"He went to find Jody. She needs to know that we found you," Sam said. "There's a whole search party out here."

"How'd you find me?" Dean asked.

"I found your pocket knife in the mud," Sam said. "And then we saw your footprints in the mud every so often."

"Any sign of Alec?" Dean asked, praying that Sam had some idea of where Alec was.

"Not so far," Sam admitted. "But Dean, I know we'll find him, ok? We found you, so I know we'll find him."

He nodded, but didn't know if he really believed his brother or not. He'd been searching for Alec all night, and there was still no sign of his little boy. He didn't know what he would do if they didn't find Alec, but he knew he would never forgive himself for failing his little boy.

He stopped short though when he saw the woman again. He hit Sam's chest and tried to pull away, but Sam's hold on him tightened. "Dean, what's wrong?" Sam asked in concern.

"She's back, Sam. We have to follow her! She knows where Alec is," Dean said, his voice urgent. He knew sounded insane, but he couldn't stop the feeling that she knew where Alec was.

He pushed Sam off of him and started running for her. He knew Sam was right behind him, but he didn't care. He had to get to Alec. He had to save his little boy.

The woman disappeared again, making him stop short. He looked around, but his legs were suddenly collapsing when he spotted something pale through the trees. His face-to-face with the ground was prevented as Sam caught him.

"I gotcha, Dean," Sam reassured. "I gotcha."

"Sam…"

"You've gotta go to the hospital, man, you can't take off like that again," Sam said. "You're hallucinating, ok? There was no one there."

"Sam…look," Dean said breathlessly. He pointed towards the trees, drawing Sam attention.

"Ok, c'mon," Sam whispered, helping him over to the trees. They both froze when they saw a man about 20-years-old lying face-down, unconscious, naked, with a barcode tattooed on the back of his neck. "Holy shit…" Sam breathed out.

"Alec?" Dean asked, unable to believe his eyes. His 2-year-old baby was back to being his 20-year-old brother.

* * *

 _More soon..._


	14. Chapter 14

_I should have put a warning at the beginning of the story that this was going to be a tad heartbreaking. I've had the last chapter and the next couple chapters in my head for a long time, but the ending isn't set yet, but it is coming soon. Just a head's up on that. Anyway, I hope it's not too depressing and I hope you guys like it!_

* * *

His heart was breaking into a thousand pieces; his baby was gone. He wasn't a father anymore. He didn't get to watch Alec grow up. He couldn't take care of him anymore. Hugs and kisses were a thing of the past. Time away from hunting, of being a family, was gone. He felt like falling to his knees and sobbing for everything he'd just lost.

But Alec was still alive. He had to cling to that fact or else he would completely fall apart. Alec was alive.

He looked over to Sam and saw tears in his brother's eyes. He knew his brother was thinking the same thing he was. They had lost Alec in one way, but they needed to remember that he wasn't dead. He was still there, still with them, still alive. He had to focus on that. He had to.

"Go tell Bobby to call of the search," Dean said, his voice thick with unshed tears. He shrugged out of his jacket and covered Alec with the material. He didn't know how he was going to explain this to Jody or to the others that were out looking for them, looking for him and his two-year-old son who didn't exist anymore. "I-I don't know if we should take him to the hospital or back home…I mean…back to Bobby's." Could he call Bobby's home anymore?

"Dean, you _have_ to go to the hospital," Sam said. He crouched down beside Alec and reached out to check his pulse. "Dean, he's gotta go to the hospital too. His pulse is weak, he's freezing, I don't even know what other injuries he has…"

"How're we going to explain this?" Dean asked. "I'm not saying no to the hospital, but Jody knows Alec, but she knows him as…as…" He had to stop, he couldn't even think about this. "Let's take him to Bobby's. We can warm him up and take care of him there, but without all the questions."

"Ok Dean," Sam whispered, his voice gentle. "I'll go tell Bobby to call off the search and the paramedics."

He nodded and turned away from his brother so maybe he wouldn't see how heartbroken he was. He'd never thought Alec would get changed back. He never thought this would happen. He had wanted to keep Alec as his kid forever. But that was all gone now. In one night, he'd lost almost everything.

"Dean, he's still alive," Sam said. "I know how you're feeling, because I'm feeling the same way, but Alec's alive."

"I know, Sam," Dean whispered. "Just go get Bobby, ok?"

"Yeah…ok," Sam muttered before walking away from him.

He collapsed next to Alec as soon as Sam was gone, and buried his face in his hands. The future he had wanted was gone, but Alec was still alive.

* * *

"Bobby…" Sam said, trying to control his voice, to not let the older man know just how devastated he and Dean both were. He was going to think Alec was dead as soon as he saw his face, and in a way he was. But he had to keep reminding himself that Alec was still alive. He wasn't their little boy anymore, but he still had his little brother.

Bobby turned to face him, and instantly, the older man lost all his color. "No…" Bobby breathed out, shaking his head in denial, tears filling his eyes. "No Sam…"

"He's not dead," Sam quickly said. "Just tell Jody to call of the search and get rid of the paramedics."

"Sam, what-"

"I can't explain it right now," Sam said. "I've gotta get back to Dean. Just head towards the stream a little north from here and you'll find us."

"Sam, what's going on? Give me something," Bobby begged.

"He's not two anymore," Sam said, tears jumping up again. "I don't know what happened, but our little boy's gone."

Bobby swallowed hard and nodded, "Alright…Do you want to take Mushu with you? Give Dean somethin' else to focus on…"

"No…I don't think that'll help," Sam muttered. "But, um, if you can get a couple blankets from the paramedics or something…Dean doesn't think it's a good idea to go to the hospital…it's too hard to explain…"

"Ok, how hurt is he?" Bobby asked. "Is he bleeding? Does he have a head injury? How's his pulse? Is he awake?"

"No, he's not awake," Sam said. "His pulse is weak, but there, I don't know if he's bleeding or if he has a head injury, but he's freezing and he doesn't have any clothes…"

"Get back to your brother…um, _brothers_ ," Bobby said. "I'll take care of everything out here."

He nodded and started to return to his brother… _brothers_ , but he stopped and said, "Dean…he's not handling this very well…"

"It just happened, Sam, give him some time," Bobby said gently.

He nodded again and started walking.

* * *

"Ok, Dean you lean against me, and Sam will get Alec, ok?" Bobby asked him. He was frozen. He was just sitting there, looking at Alec. He hadn't said anything to Sam when he'd gotten back, and he wasn't going to say anything to Bobby either. "C'mon Dean, you gotta help a little bit here. Let's start with standing up, ok?"

"Dean, look at me," Sam said, suddenly crouching down in front of him. Sam cupped his face with both hands and forced him to look at him. "You have to move or else I'm calling the paramedics back."

"Sam…" He said brokenly. He didn't know what to do anymore. How could he go back to how things used to be, before Alec was his son, was his whole world.

"I know, ok, you know that I know, but you're freezing, I'm freezing, Bobby's freezing, and Alec's freezing. We have to go back to the house and get warmed up. We need to move and get Alec some clothes to wear," Sam said.

He looked back to Alec and saw that he had a blanket over him now, but he was still unconscious. It hurt to look at Alec and not see his smiling little face, his tiny baby hands, his little nose scrunched in confusion…He finally nodded and held his hand out so Sam could help him up. He was stiff, his limbs felt frozen and unresponsive, but he managed to get to his feet with Sam's help. Bobby stepped up and wrapped his arm around his waist to help steady him.

"C'mon kid," Bobby soothed. "Let's get you warmed up."

He moved because he knew he was supposed to. He kept walking because he had to. He didn't know what to do anymore. He didn't know how he was supposed to act or if he could even function now. It probably didn't help that he was so cold he couldn't even feel his fingers anymore.

"Dean, try to make a fist with your hand," Bobby said, grabbing his hand that wasn't draped over the older man's shoulders. "C'mon, try to get the blood moving."

"Alec…"

"Sam's got Alec," Bobby said. "Let's focus on you for a minute. Try to move your fingers, ok?" His fingers were slow to respond, but he did manage to get them to move. He didn't know what the point was, but he didn't want Bobby to get mad at him. "Alright, good," Bobby praised. "We'll get you both warmed up, and then we'll figure everything out, ok?"

"Bobby…I lost him," Dean mumbled.

"You didn't lose him. He ain't dead, he's just not two anymore," Bobby argued. "We just need to focus on taking care of the two of you, and we'll deal with everything else later."

He nodded, but he didn't say anything the rest of the way to the house. He just sat there as Sam and Bobby took care of Alec. They got him dressed in some sweatpants and a hoodie, and wrapped in a blanket before they laid him on the sofa.

"C'mon Dean, let's get you in some dry clothes," Sam said.

"Is Alec ok?" Dean asked.

"He's pretty cold," Sam said. "Bobby's looking for his space heater, and I'm going to sit with him after I get you warmed up."

"Ok…" Dean muttered.

"But first we gotta get you into some warm clothes," Sam said.

"What happened with the search party and the paramedics?" Dean asked, struggling to get his shirt off even with Sam's help.

"Bobby convinced Jody that we found him, but that you were both fine and we were just going to take you both home," Sam said.

"She bought it?" Dean asked.

"For now," Sam said. "But we'll have to figure out what we're going to do."

"I don't know what to do…" Dean whispered with his head down.

"We'll figure it out," Sam said.

* * *

"Alright, try putting this on him," Bobby muttered.

He frowned when someone lifted the blanket that was over him, lifted his arm, and put something warm against his side. "Alec, don't freak out, I'm just putting a heating pad on you to help get you warm again," Sam soothed. He could tell his brother didn't think he was actually awake, but he didn't know if he wanted to wake up. His head was killing him and his entire body hurt.

What the Hell happened to him?

"How's Dean doin'?" Bobby asked.

"He's sleeping, finally. He's still freezing, but he won't let me help," Sam said. "But he's just on autopilot…I don't know if he's gonna come back from this one."

"Just give him some time," Bobby said. "We're all gonna have to get used to this." It was quiet for a few minutes, and then Bobby asked, "Is he any warmer?"

Sam's hand gently pressed against his forehead, and then ran back into his hair. "Not really…"

"I'll get him another blanket," Bobby said.

He gasped in surprise and his eyes flew open when his shoulders were suddenly lifted up. He was immediately put back on the sofa, and then his brother's worried face was the only thing he could see. "Alec!" Sam said in surprise. "You're awake!"

"Hey Sam," Alec whispered. Jeez, even talking hurt. He must have hit his head extremely hard…

"You ok?" Sam asked, crouching down to be on his level, keeping his hand on his shoulder. "Are you cold or thirsty?"

"I'm ok," he replied.

"Do you remember what happened?" Sam asked gently.

He frowned and shook his head no. "I'm cold and my head hurts real bad…"

"We've got a space heater going, a heat pad on you, and Bobby's getting you another blanket," Sam said. "I can get you some soup in a little bit." Sam looked around, but then his attention snapped back to him. "You gotta take your pills! Let me get them, just sit tight, ok?"

He nodded even though Sam was already gone. He really wished he could remember what had happened. Maybe he'd passed out and had a few seizures before Sam and Dean had found him. He frowned though, realizing the last thing he remembered was a hunt. They were searching some house, but he couldn't remember what happened after that. Somehow, they'd gotten to Bobby's and he was freezing and sore?

"Ok, let's get you sitting up," Sam said once he was back. He couldn't even move, he hurt so bad. But Sam got him up, sitting behind him to help support him, and helped him take his pills. "So, what's the last thing you remember?" Sam asked. He could tell his brother was trying to go for casual, but this was definitely an important question.

"The hunt," Alec said, feeling like he was failing. "We went into that house to check it out…Did I have a seizure or something?" Sometimes he was cold after he had a seizure, not necessarily freezing like he was now, but he liked to wrap up in a blanket after one.

"No…um, this is kinda hard to explain," Sam said. Something had happened…something serious. "But I don't' know if I should be the one to explain it all…"

"Where's Dean?" Alec asked.

"He's upstairs," Sam said simply.

Bobby suddenly walked back in, but a puppy ran in behind him and ran straight for him. The dog jumped on him and started licking him all over his face. His eyes widened in surprise and he patted the dog's head as he tried to get him away from his face.

"Mushu, get down," Bobby ordered. The dog quickly jumped back down to the floor and to Bobby's side. "Hey kiddo, how ya feeling?" Bobby asked him, his voice sad.

"I'm alright," he automatically answered. "When did you get a dog?"

"You don't remember anything?" Bobby asked in concern.

He slowly shook his head no. "What's going on? What happened?"

"I think Dean needs to be here…" Sam said. "I don't know how to say it…"

"Just tell me," Alec said. "It's something to do with me, right? I can tell I'm not paralyzed, so what is it?"

"Alec, it's March," Sam said.

That couldn't be right…it had been June when they went on that hunt. "Was I in a coma?" Alec asked quietly. Maybe that was why he was so sore; he hadn't been moving for about 10 months, and maybe he was cold because his blood hadn't been circulating very well.

"No, Alec, you weren't in a coma," Sam reassured. "Something happened…and it's going to be hard to believe, but it's true. And we can prove it, so don't just think we're crazy, ok?"

"Ok…" Alec said slowly.

"Alec, you were somehow turned into a two-year-old. You've been a little kid for the past 10 months," Sam said.

"What?" Alec breathed out. That couldn't be possible, right? There was no way he could've been turned into a two-year-old for 10 months…right?

"I'm not joking," Sam said. "You were a little kid and we took care of you."

"I want to talk to Dean," Alec said. It felt like his head was spinning. If this was all true, then Dean would be able to verify it.

"Alec, he's asleep right now," Bobby said. "You two have hypothermia, and he's got a concussion and three broken ribs."

"What happened?" Alec asked in concern. He started to push himself up, but he didn't even need Sam's restraining hands to keep him on the sofa. He hurt so bad, he couldn't even move. He whimpered in pain and fell back against his brother.

"Alec, what's wrong? What hurts?" Sam asked in panic.

"Everything," Alec breathed out. It was like he had a hundred seizures, had been in psy-ops for months, and had just had an examination where they'd taken bone marrow, and had the crap beaten out of him all rolled into one.

"How bad?" Sam asked.

"B-bad…" Alec admitted.

"Ok, how 'bout you lay back again, I'll keep trying to get you warmed up, and then you can talk to Dean once he wakes up," Sam suggested.

He nodded since he wasn't able to do anything else. He'd just have to talk to Dean later, when he was able to move a little and talk without getting too breathless.

* * *

"Alec woke up for a while," Sam said. Dean was awake, but he was refusing to move, to talk to him, to even look at him. He'd never seen his brother so defeated before, and he didn't know how to help. "I tried to tell him what happened, but he doesn't believe me."

He looked over at his brother to see if he would react at all, but he didn't do anything. He reached over and propped his brother up slightly to see if that would change anything, but still nothing. He didn't even slap his hands away like he normally would.

"Dean, talk to me," Sam begged. "Alec still needs you, I need you. I know this is hard, trust me, I've already talked to him and it's the hardest thing in the world not to hug him and hold him close like I did when he was a little kid, but he still needs us."

He didn't know how else he could get Dean to talk to him, to get Dean to talk to Alec. He had to try to fix this so Alec wouldn't be devastated that his big brother wouldn't even talk to him. He would have to give his brother a low blow if he wanted to try to get through to him.

"He's hurt…He's not bleeding or anything, but he was in serious pain when he woke up earlier. I don't know if it's from the stream or if it's because he changed back…maybe it was like a super-stretch on his muscles and bones…I don't know, but he couldn't hide it, so that means it's bad," Sam said.

Dean's eyes finally shifted from the ceiling over to him. "Is he any warmer?"

"Not really. I was going to go back down and…" his cheeks heated in embarrassment, thinking that he was just going to hold Alec like he used to, to warm him up. "Anyway…you wanna move downstairs so you're around when he wakes up again?"

"Sam…"

"You can pretend to be asleep if he does wake up, that way you don't have to talk if you don't want to," Sam quickly defended. "Besides, it's warmer down there, and you look like you're still cold."

"I don't know what to say to him," Dean finally admitted. "He was my kid, Sam…I…I wanted to raise him, give him a better life…"

"I know, Dean. I wanted that to happen too, but he's still with us. He's our brother. We can't change what happened, but we can still try to give him a better life," Sam said. "He needs us around, no matter what age he is."

Dean swallowed hard and blinked a few times before he nodded. "Yeah…you're right…"

"I know it's going to be hard to get used to, but we'll get used to it again," Sam said. "And you know, that life doesn't have to be over. You can find someone, settle down, have kids-"

"Sam," Dean cut off. "No. Alec was my kid. He was my chance at that life. I don't want another kid."

"Dean, I know-"

"Quit saying that you know," Dean growled. "That's not helping."

"I kn- I'm sorry," Sam said. "I just want to try and help."

"Then go back downstairs," Dean said. "Go make sure Alec's warm."

"Are you coming too?" Sam asked. He held his breath as he waited for his brother's reply. Everything was riding on what Dean said now. If he was going to be able to move on, or if his brother was going to disappear under his grief. He didn't know what he would do if Dean refused to go. He didn't know what he would tell Alec or how they would actually get through this if Dean wasn't even willing to try. His brother had always been there for him and for Alec. What if this was Dean's breaking point? What if this was it and he couldn't get his brother back? What he said was true; he and Alec needed Dean, no matter what age they were, but especially now. He knew it would take time to get over the loss of having Alec as a little kid, but they couldn't ignore their brother because of it. They just couldn't.

"No," Dean finally said.

* * *

 _More soon..._


	15. Chapter 15

_Thank you guys for the reviews! There are only a few chapters left to this story, so hopefully you guys still like it._

 _Also, just want to let you guys know I just opened a shop on Etsy._ _shop/CoastersandpostersCo?ref=search_shop_redirect_

 _That's the link if you guys want to check it out. I'm making coasters and canvas posters of Supernatural and Harry Potter so far, but it can be of anything if anyone is interested!_

 _Anyway, back to the story! Hope you like it!_

* * *

"He won't come downstairs. He won't come see him," Sam whispered. "I can't force him to come down here, Bobby. He won't move."

Dean didn't want to see him. He didn't want to admit how much that hurt to hear, but he would rather go back to psy-ops than hear his older brother didn't even want to come downstairs to see if he was ok. He was not ok, not anymore anyway. He hurt more now than he ever had before.

"Then we better find a way to get him to move. Alec's not gonna sleep forever, and we already know he wants to talk to Dean. His options are to either get his ass down here by himself, or we _will_ force him down here," Bobby growled. "I know this is not what he was plannin' on, but his brother is still alive. He needs to be there for him."

"Don't you think I told him that?!" Sam asked, his voice rising, but then quickly falling again. "Bobby, I've been trying to convince him for _three hours_ to come down here. He won't do it."

"Then you better get your ass on that sofa and stick to Alec like glue," Bobby hissed. He could hear Bobby's footsteps as he walked away, but then he stopped and said, "This is not Alec's fault, you hear me? He doesn't deserve this from either of you. He didn't ask for this, either time, so you need to be there for him. And that ain't a suggestion."

He could hear Sam's sharp breath, knowing he was about to argue, but then his brother let it out and said, "Yeah, alright…"

"Sam," Bobby said with a sigh. "I didn't mean you were doin' anything wrong…This is gonna be rough for him. He's missed 10 months, he has no idea what he's been through, and now, with Dean not even coming down to see him? I know him well enough to know he won't take it well. So, he needs one of his brothers around. That's all I'm saying."

"I know, Bobby," Sam said softly. "I know I should've come down here sooner, but I know Dean's the one he wants to talk to. I just wanted to give him one thing. I can't spoil him anymore, or give him hugs just because I want to, or hold him while he sleeps, or play with him because he's bored, or listen to his made-up stories that always made me smile…I know I can't do that anymore, and it sucks, but I'm going to try to ignore it and try to do one thing for him. And now I can't even give him the one thing he wants."

"Just sit with him," Bobby said, his voice further away now, and his footsteps sounded like he was going upstairs. "I'll try to talk some sense into Dean…"

"Yeah, good luck with that," Sam muttered. He knew Sam would be walking over to him soon, so he tried to turn over on the sofa. But the movement caused his pain to spike to a whole new level, and he groaned in pain. Sam's hands suddenly pressed against his shoulder and chest to keep him down, but he whimpered at the touch. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Sam said, quickly removing his hands. "Alec, what can I do? Do you want some painkillers?"

"I-I'm alright," Alec breathed. "Just forgot I shouldn't move…"

"Ok, let me get you some water or maybe some milk…which one sounds better?" Sam asked.

He didn't think his stomach could actually handle anything right now, so he shook his head no. "Sam…I'm alright. I don't want anything."

"Alec, you're probably dehydrated…I just want to make sure we get ahead of this before it gets too far," Sam said, reaching out to run his hand through his hair. He pulled his hand back though and quickly apologized, "I'm sorry…I should've…I don't know, I'm just…I'm sorry."

"It's ok," Alec reassured. "I don't know what all happened…but I guess this is a big adjustment…"

Sam gave him a sad smile and said, "Alec, you shouldn't be comforting me. You're hurt and you don't know what's going on…"

"It's fine," Alec muttered.

"Do you want to talk about what happened?" Sam asked, his voice gentle. "I could try to fill you in on what you missed…"

"Why won't he come down here?" Alec asked, getting right to the point. "Did I do something that I can't remember? Is it something to do with the whole kid thing?"

"Is it ok if I sit down?" Sam asked instead of answering him.

"Yeah…" Alec replied.

Sam gently lifted his shoulders and moved to sit down, easing him back down so his shoulders were across his lap. A pillow was placed under his head, and then Sam rested his hand on his chest. "This ok?" Sam hesitantly asked. He nodded since he knew his pain would be obvious in his voice, and he didn't want Sam to feel bad. "Alec, you didn't do anything wrong," Sam whispered after a few minutes. "We…um, we didn't think you would ever get changed back. We didn't even really look for a way to change you back."

"Really?" Alec asked, feeling hurt that his brothers didn't even try to get him back. "Why?" He probably didn't want to know the answer, but he couldn't stop the question from popping out.

"Alec…you were so happy. You smiled and laughed all the time, and even though you remembered a little bit from Manticore, it was just two years of it. So…when Dean suggested that we just raise you…I didn't think it was such a bad idea. You were happy and you made everyone else happy-"

"So, I was two?" Alec cut in.

"Yeah," Sam said. "Dean was dreading when you were going to turn five because he didn't want you to go to school."

"How'd I turn back?" Alec asked. "If you guys weren't looking…then how come I'm not two anymore?"

"I don't know," Sam admitted. "You and Dean were taking a walk and it started to storm. Dean said you fell into the stream, and when we found you…you weren't a little kid anymore."

"Were you guys hunting anything?" Alec asked, trying to think of anything that could've done this.

"We quit hunting," Sam muttered.

"What? Why?" Alec asked. Why would they give up hunting?

"Alec, you were two. We didn't want anything coming back to hurt you," Sam said. His brother smiled though and teased, "And you were kind of a clingy kid. It took a while for you to be ok with being away from Dean."

"And that's why he won't come down here?" Alec asked slowly.

"We…um…we told you that Dean was your Dad and I was Uncle Sammy…He got used to being your Dad…as weird as that might be for you…" Sam said.

He was quiet for a long time. He could tell Sam was holding his breath, waiting for his reaction. But he didn't know what to say or how to react. They had been taking care of him as a little kid, they'd acted like they were his Dad and Uncle, and they hadn't wanted him to be changed back. "I…I don't understand…" he finally whispered.

"I'm not explaining it right," Sam said. "I…Dean would know how to explain this better…I just-"

"Sam, I need some time alone," Alec muttered, keeping his eyes away from his brother.

"Um, yeah…ok," Sam said, gently lifting his shoulders again and setting him back on the sofa. "I'll, um, I'll go upstairs and see if Dean will come down. If…um, if you need anything-"

"I'll let you know," Alec said.

Sam nodded and quickly left the room. He felt a little bad for telling his brother to go away, but they hadn't wanted him to come back. It hurt that they didn't even try to get him back, and now Dean didn't even want to see him.

He clenched his jaw and pushed away the pain, forcing himself to get up. He started shaking with the amount of pain that accompanied his movement, but he ignored it and finally made it to his feet. He locked his legs, so he wouldn't fall back down, and grabbed one of the blankets that had pooled at the end of the sofa, since he was still freezing. But maybe walking around would help warm him up.

He wrapped the blanket around his shoulders and slowly made his way to the kitchen. His eyes widened and he stumbled to a stop when he was there. At the table was a highchair for a little kid to eat at, on the fridge were pictures that a little kid had drawn, there were toys on the floor, and everything was child-proof. The fridge had a child lock on it, as well as the cabinets and drawers. The knives were put away and the oven's controls had something over it so they couldn't accidently be turned on.

They'd gone all out for him. They may not have tried to get him back to normal, but they'd given him just about everything else. He walked over to the counter so he could have something to lean against, but he stopped again when he saw a pile of pictures sitting there.

He quickly snagged the pictures and sat down in one of the kitchen chairs. He tried to ignore the highchair and the sippy cup sitting next to him, and instead focused on the pictures in his hands.

Tears filled his eyes as he looked through them. Sam and Dean had huge smiles in every picture they were in. Every single one. He'd never seen them look so happy…Even Bobby was smiling, which was almost weird to see.

He dropped the pictures to the table and ran his hands through his hair. Why did he have to change back? Why couldn't he just stay a kid and make Sam and Dean happy? Why did he always have to ruin everything? Everyone was happier when he was a kid. Who cares that he couldn't remember anything from when he was a kid, the pictures were enough to tell him that he really was happy, that Sam and Dean were happy, and that they had been telling him the truth.

He needed to get out of here. He shrugged out of the blanket and slowly headed back to the main room. He didn't see his boots anywhere, but Dean's would fit him, so he grabbed those and put them on. He grabbed Dean's coat, since that was missing too, and headed out the door.

Somehow he managed to make it to one of Bobby's cars, and his luck held because it was one that actually worked. He hotwired the car and made his way to town. He just had to get out of the house for a while, away from his brothers and their mourning for something he couldn't even remember. He wasn't even planning on stopping anywhere, he just wanted to drive for a while. But he ended up at a bar, and slowly staggered his way to the door. Maybe a couple of drinks would help warm him up and clear his head.

He wasn't expecting the bar tender to recognize him, or actually, sort of recognize him. "Dean?" The burly man with short, military style hair, and stubble said.

"Um, no…his brother… Alec," he replied, slowly easing onto the closest barstool.

"You look like you've had better days," the man pointed out, filling a glass and putting it in front of him. He scowled when he saw it was water. "If you can show me some ID, I'll get you somethin' stronger."

"Would you believe me if I said I lost it?" Alec asked. In all honesty, he'd forgotten to even grab his wallet. He had no idea where it was, and that went for his phone too. His brothers were going to freak when they found out he left. But that was assuming they would go downstairs to check on him again. Sam might, but apparently Dean wouldn't.

The man chuckled and shook his head no. "Go ahead and drink up. I'll find you somethin' to eat."

"What? No, no…I'm not hungry," Alec said.

The guy's eyebrows shot up in disbelief, "Kid, you look like a strong wind could knock ya over, and I'm strongly considering that I'm seein' a ghost."

"I'm not a ghost," Alec grumbled.

"Great, then this food's gonna taste fantastic." The man went to what he assumed was the kitchen, but came back a minute later. "So, you're Alec," he said, leaning against the bar. "I've seen pictures, but you're a lot smaller in the pictures."

"It's complicated," Alec muttered, taking a drink of water so he wouldn't have to give a real answer.

"Well, my name's Jake," he said, holding out his hand. He shook it, but quickly pulled his hand back when he shivered. Jake frowned in concern and turned away from him to pour something in a cup. "How do you feel about coffee?" Jake asked.

"Don't care as long as it's hot," Alec answered, gratefully reaching out for the mug and soaking in the heat. They were both quiet for a minute as he sipped the hot coffee, but then he couldn't take it any longer. "So…you know Dean?"

Jake nodded, "Yeah, I know Dean, Sam, and Bobby. I've known Bobby for years, but didn't know he had kids until last year, and a grandkid too." Jake looked him over as if guessing that something wasn't right with that story, but he didn't mention it…yet. "So…I'm guessin' you're the youngest…"

"Yeah…" He hesitated since he didn't even know if his brothers had made up a story for him or not. He was guessing they didn't, so he wasn't sure what to say. "My brothers' ever mention me?" He finally asked, trying to go for casual, but he knew he sounded pathetic.

"No…I just recognized you since you and Dean look alike…actually thought you were Dean for a minute," Jake said. He ducked his head and focused on the steam coming from his mug. "I thought maybe you _were_ a ghost," Jake admitted. "I'm guessin' they thought you were dead…maybe that's why Dean named his kid after you…I mean, it makes sense…" He nodded, but still refused to meet the man's eyes. "Did you already make it out to Singer's?"

He took a deep breath, and then let it out, "Yeah…wasn't what I was expecting…"

Jake gave him a sad, knowing smile before he patted the bar top. "I bet your food's ready. I'll be right back." He was just about to tell him that he wasn't hungry, but Jake was already gone. Great, now he was going to have to pretend that it tasted fine and that he wasn't about two seconds away from throwing up. "Ok," Jake said, coming back with a steaming bowl in his hands. "How does some chicken noodle soup sound?"

He breathed out in relief, "Actually sounds manageable…"

"You didn't think I was gonna cook you up a burger, did ya?" Jake asked with a small smile. He shrugged back and moved his mug out of the way so Jake could put the bowl in front of him. "With the way you look…I was debating calling for an ambulance."

"I don't look that bad," Alec muttered.

Jake chuckled, "I'd steer clear of any mirrors if I was you…Don't wanna bruise your ego."

He cracked a smile, feeling a weight lift that he hadn't even known was there. "Good to know."

"Just eat what you can, ok?" Jake said, his voice soft and gentle. He nodded and sipped a small spoonful of broth. "I know what it's like, to come back and feel like everyone's moved on without you. It's hard." He refused to look up again, and instead took another slow sip of soup. "Did you even know Dean had a kid?"

"No," Alec whispered. It was the truth, he didn't know that he'd been a kid and Dean had taken care of him.

"How long's it been?" Jake asked.

He shrugged again and muttered, "Feels like forever."

"Y'know, it gets better," Jake said. "Just takes some time."

"If you say so…" Alec replied.

"How's the soup?" Jake asked, easily changing the topic for him.

"Pretty good," Alec said honestly. "Feels like I haven't eaten in forever…"

"Looks like it too," Jake teased.

"Does this routine usually get some laughs?" Alec asked.

Jake laughed, and he rolled his eyes. "Better not quit my day job, huh?"

"You got that right," Alec said. He frowned though and asked, "What time is it, anyway?"

"Almost 2 in the afternoon," Jake said.

"I should be getting back…" Alec muttered, looking to the door.

"Did you even tell them you were leaving?" Jake asked.

"Nope," Alec said. "And my phone must be with my wallet…"

"You want me to call them? I'd feel better if I knew they were watchin' for ya," Jake said. He thought about it, but then shook his head no. "C'mon kid, just give me a number. They don't have to come get ya. I'm just going to give them a head's up that you're on your way. I don't want you getting in a wreck and they don't even know where to look…"

"I'll be alright," Alec said. "Thanks for the soup."

"Don't mention it," Jake said. He pushed himself up, but immediately swayed as the room tipped. "Whoa Alec, hold up," Jake said, but his voice was muffled. "Alec!" His legs collapsed and his arms didn't move in time to catch himself. The side of his head smacked against the floor, and then he was out.

* * *

"Alec…"

He tried to turn his face away from whoever was tapping his cheek, but then another hand gently gripped his jaw and turned his face back to them.

"Alec, c'mon kid, come on back…"

"Wh-what happened?" Alec asked, feeling lost and confused.

He started to sit up, but whoever was with him pushed against his chest and kept him down. He finally got his eyes open a crack, and it clicked that Jake was the one with him. He'd collapsed when he'd tried to get up.

"Just stay still," Jake said. "You hit your head pretty hard…"

"I'm alright…" Alec whispered.

He tried to get up again, but Jake refused to let him move. "Alec, don't move, ok? Someone's on the way who knows Bobby and should know his phone number. I want to give them a head's up that I'm taking you to the hospital."

"No…no hospital…" Alec muttered.

Jake's hand went to his forehead, "Alec, you're shivering, but you have a fever. I'm guessing you're supposed to be in bed, am I right?"

"S-sofa," Alec corrected, his teeth chattering. "It's w-warmer…"

"What happened?" Jake asked.

"G-got caught out in the r-rain," Alec said.

"Don't move," Jake said, suddenly getting up and walking away. He came back with a jacket, which he carefully laid over his chest. "And yes, you're going to the hospital. I'm guessing on top of the fever and the chills, you're dehydrated."

"My…um…yeah, alright," Alec mumbled. He was about to say his brothers would freak out if they found out he was in the hospital, but now he wasn't so sure. Dean didn't want to see him, so why would they care if he was in the hospital. And as long as he was in the hospital, at least he would be alone. He wouldn't have to worry about disappointing his brothers or making things weird.

Jake frowned, but he didn't get to say anything because the door to the bar opened and a woman in a sheriff's uniform walked in. "Dean?" She asked, when her eyes landed on him.

He rolled his eyes as Jake answered for him, "No, this is Alec, Sam and Dean's little brother. Can you call Singer and tell him I'm taking Alec to the hospital?" The woman didn't reply, and actually didn't move a muscle. "Jody? You ok?" Jake asked.

"You said Alec?" Jody breathed out.

"Yeah," Jake said. Jake looked to him, and then back to Jody. "It's complicated…He just got back, and things are weird, but he needs to go to the hospital. I don't know Singer's number, otherwise I would've already called him and just taken Alec to the hospital. I heard around town you went to the park with them sometimes, so I assumed you knew their number…"

"Yeah…yeah, I do," Jody said. She walked around the bar to the phone, and he heard the buttons beep when she pressed each one. He tried to ignore the fact that the phone just kept ringing. Maybe they couldn't hear it since they were all upstairs…

"C'mon, let's get you up," Jake said. "We can start for the car, and Jody can leave a message if she needs to." He nodded, and let Jake do most of the work to get him back on his feet. He felt lightheaded and the room tipped, but he managed to hang onto consciousness. Jake kept him up and maneuvered his arms into the sleeves of the extra coat. He was embarrassed that this guy was dressing him, but his arms weren't cooperating. "Hang in there, kid. I don't think you want me to call an ambulance, do you?'

"No…"

"Ok, good," Jake said. "We'll just take it slow. Lean against me, and I'll get you there."

He nodded again, and barely managed to shuffle his feet to the door. He could hear Jody leaving a message for Bobby, and then she was suddenly at his other side, helping him walk.

It seemed to take forever to get to the door, but they did make it, but he froze once they were outside. The Impala was parked next to the car he stole, and Sam immediately got out as soon as they appeared.

His eyes filled with tears, which he knew was pathetic, but his brother had noticed he was gone and had come looking for him. A tear slipped free and streaked down his cheek when the passenger door opened and Dean got out, slowly standing up and immediately looking for him.

"Alec," Dean breathed out.

* * *

 _More soon..._


	16. Chapter 16

Tears started falling without his permission as Dean walked forward and enveloped him in a hug. He pulled away from Jake and Jody, and wrapped his arms around his brother, hiding his face against his chest. He didn't care that he looked weak and pathetic in front of everyone; it had really hurt that Dean didn't want to see him, but now his brother was here, had left the house to come find him.

"I'm so sorry, Alec," Dean whispered. "I should've come down to talk to you sooner."

"It's ok," he mumbled back.

Dean pulled back from him, but kept his hands on his shoulders, and looked him over. "What were you thinkin' comin' out here? You should be in bed…" He dropped his gaze from his brother and refused to look up. He didn't want to admit to Dean that he'd left to get away from him.

"He collapsed…" Jake suddenly said to fill the silence. "I was just about to take him to the hospital."

Before everything happened, he would've known exactly how his brothers would react to someone trying to take him to the hospital. They would have instantly refused and taken him home to recover under their supervision instead. But now, he had no idea how they would react. He couldn't even wrap his head around the idea that he'd been a kid for 10 months, let alone his brothers taking care of him like he was their kid.

"Alright, c'mon," Dean said.

"We goin' home?" Alec asked hopefully, needing at least one thing to be normal again.

"No, you're goin' to the hospital," Dean said. Well, there went normal. "We should've taken you there as soon as we found you."

"Dean…" he tried, but Dean cut him off before he could say anything else.

"You're not getting outta this one. I can tell you've got a fever and you're so pale…" Dean said, trailing off with his concern.

"Ok," he agreed. He didn't really want to go to the hospital, but he didn't want to argue with his brother and make things worse. He didn't want to mess up and lose his family.

Dean's eyebrows rose in surprise and he looked over at Sam, "That was too easy, right?"

Sam smiled and nodded, "Yeah…used to be a lot harder to get him to the hospital."

"I just don't want to be difficult…" Alec muttered.

Dean ruffled his hair, and then moved to wrap his arm around his back. "Maybe they won't want to keep you overnight," Dean said. "It could just be a quick check where they tell us you just need rest and fluids."

"When have I ever gotten that lucky?" Alec said.

"Boys, we're wastin' daylight," Bobby suddenly said. He jumped since he hadn't noticed Bobby before. He'd been so surprised to see Dean that he didn't even look for anyone else. He looked back at Jake and Jody feeling like he should say something or thank them…or at least say goodbye.

"Hey, you better come see me again once you're feelin' better," Jake said. "And bring your ID next time so I believe you're old enough to drink." He chuckled and nodded as Jake looked over at Bobby and asked, "Maybe you could call over here and keep me updated once you guys are settled?"

"Yeah, I'll call," Bobby said.

Jake gently patted his shoulder and headed back into his bar. Before he went inside though, he turned and said, "Take care of yourself, kid."

He smiled and nodded, and then looked over at Jody to see what she was going to do. He was surprised to see determination in her stance as she looked between all of them. "I'm going with you," Jody stated.

"Jody-" Bobby started, but Jody didn't give him a chance to change her mind.

"There's a lot that needs to be explained," Jody said. "You can either start talking now, or we can all go to the hospital and you can explain it there."

"Hospital," Sam said before anyone else could decide. "Alec needs to be in bed and we'll tell you everything once he's taken care of."

"Fine," Jody said. "You boys lead the way. I'll follow."

"This is gonna be fun…" Dean muttered as Jody walked over to her car.

Dean led him over to the Impala, and he let him. He found that he didn't care that they were heading to the hospital and he didn't care that Jody was going to be told everything. He just wanted to make sure Sam and Dean weren't going to abandon him. He needed his family, and he didn't want them to go anywhere.

* * *

He fluffed Alec's pillow, and then pulled up his blanket a little more just to have something to do. He missed taking care of his little boy, but as soon as he saw Alec being helped out of the bar, he knew he was being an ass. He lost his little boy, but his little brother was still alive. And as soon as Alec started talking, it was like a hole had been filled in his heart. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed his little brother until he was back again.

"Dean, I'm alright," Alec said, but he didn't push his hand away. The doctor had gotten Alec in a room, started him on warmed fluids, and gotten him a heated blanket. The guy had wanted to start him on humidified oxygen, but that's where Alec drew the line. But if he didn't get warmed up within the next couple of hours, then he was going to get outvoted.

"Sorry…" he muttered, forcing himself to sit back down. He probably needed to be in bed too, but he wasn't planning on saying anything. He felt a little warmer now and he planned on resting once he was sure Alec was ok. He just couldn't shake the feeling that he needed to take care of Alec.

"It's ok," Alec quickly reassured.

He gave Alec a small smile to try to reassure him that he wasn't going to vanish again. He should've known Alec was going to disappear if he found out that he wasn't going to see him and talk to him. "Alec, I'm not going to disappear again," he said, his voice soft.

"Even after I'm released from the hospital?" Alec asked, his eyes down.

"I promise, I'm not goin' anywhere," Dean said. He kicked off his boots and grabbed the blanket Sam had asked for, and made a show of getting more comfortable in the recliner that was in the room. Alec smiled, which made him feel like he'd finally done something right. "I'm sorry, Alec," Dean said. Sam, Bobby, and Jody were out of the room right now so Alec could rest if he wanted to. And Sam had thought the two of them needed to talk while he and Bobby tried to explain things to Jody. "I just…It sounds weird saying it out loud, but you were my kid. And I thought…I thought I was going to raise you…give you a better life…"

Alec nodded in understanding, but he could tell it still didn't make sense to him.

"It's hard to explain," Dean said. He wanted to get up and pace, or even find a way to escape, but he owed Alec an explanation. It had been his decision to keep Alec as a kid, to not even look for a way to change him back. "You were the cutest little kid…and you hardly remembered anything from Manticore. You still had nightmares and you were terrified of thunder and you were scared anytime we tried something new…but I got to teach you so much. I taught you how to swim, catch frogs, color…"

"You don't have to explain it if you don't want to," Alec whispered. "I get it, it's hard to adjust…"

"Alec, I…" He stopped and took a deep breath before he said, "You're right. It is hard to adjust. It was hard to adjust when you first got turned into a kid, but we did adjust. We figured out how to take care of you and we had a good life, a happy life. But I missed you. We hid your stuff so we couldn't see it. It hurt too much to look at it because we didn't think there was a way to get you back. None of us had heard of this ever happening, and we didn't really try to look for a way to fix it. You were happy, we were happy, it just didn't make sense to change it. And it's hard to admit it, but I really liked being your Dad and taking care of you. I was never gonna get a chance at doing that if you hadn't been turned into a kid, and I wouldn't change what happened."

"Would you change me getting back to normal?" Alec asked, his eyes snapping up to meet his, his little brother's hurt clear.

His breath left him; he honestly didn't know the answer to that question. He loved having Alec as his kid, but he also loved having him as his little brother. He didn't want to have to choose between the two of them. "Alec…I wish I could have you both. I don't want to give you up, but I don't want to give up being a Dad either," he said honestly. He looked to his little brother and silently begged him to understand.

Alec was quiet for a long time, but then said, "Y'know, I'm sure there's a lot of women that would love to have a kid with you…"

He huffed out a laugh and said, "Sam kinda said the same thing, but Alec, I don't want another kid. _You_ were my kid and no one can replace you. Not as a little brother and not as my little kid. I can't choose between the two of you, but I just want you to be happy."

"I don't even remember it," Alec said. "The last thing I remember was that hunt. Sam told me it'd been 10 months since I'd been turned into a kid, and that's a lot of time to be missing. I'm lost here. I don't understand it and I don't…I don't even know if I belong here anymore."

"Alec, you belong with us," Dean said, sitting up and locking eyes with his brother. "You're a Winchester no matter what age you are, and me and Sam will always look out for you and either be your brothers or your Dad and your Uncle. No matter what it takes, we're there for you because we're family."

Alec nodded, but looked away from him. "I just wish I could remember. Maybe if I remembered, I would understand it better…"

He sat back again and said, "Alright, well, what do you want to know? I can fill in whatever blanks you want and maybe that will help."

Alec shrugged back, "I don't even know what to ask…"

"Um, ok, let's see," Dean said. "We found you upstairs in that house. You were unconscious with a gash on the back of your head. We didn't see the thing that attacked you, but you were so tiny, I wanted to get you out of there as fast as I could. But you were so scared and you thought I might hurt you. You even flinched when I reached out for you. For some reason though, you decided it was ok to let me help you and I picked you up and carried you back downstairs." He stopped and chuckled thinking back to that time. "You refused to let go of me, even when we got back to the motel and we needed to patch you up. You just held on and hid against me…"

"I was two?" Alec asked when he trailed off.

"Yeah, that's what we decided on," Dean said. "We had to buy you all new clothes since yours were way too big. We had to take you to the store with you wearin' an oversized t-shirt. I'm surprised they didn't call social services on us as soon as they saw us. But we got you clothes and a car seat before we headed for Bobby's. We were way in over our heads because we had no idea how to take care of a little kid." He started laughing, and then said, "I wish I had a picture of Bobby's face when he saw you. I thought he was gonna have a heart attack."

Alec actually chuckled, "You should've warned him. That would be a shock for anyone."

"We did warn him!" Dean defended. "He just didn't believe us until we brought you over."

He didn't really know what else to say or how much Alec wanted to hear, but his little brother let him know. "What else? What happened next?"

"So this is helping?" Dean asked back.

"Yeah, this is helping," Alec said.

He smiled and immediately started telling Alec everything he'd missed. Every boring little detail, but little details that meant the world to him like Alec's favorite color, his favorite toy, favorite song to sing, thing to eat for breakfast…he told him everything. And he could tell it was helping his little brother to have the gaps filled, but he was surprised to find that this was helping him too. This was slowly easing the pain he felt at losing his little boy. It didn't fix everything, but it was helping. So, he kept going.

* * *

"Alright, start talking," Jody demanded as they all sat down at a table in the cafeteria. He and Bobby sat across from her, but he was at a loss on where to start. Bobby must have been too because he didn't say anything either, so the three of them sat in silence for a few minutes. "How about you tell me where baby Alec is," Jody suggested. "Because I'm assuming you didn't leave him home alone while you came out to take care of adult Alec."

"Baby Alec and adult Alec are the same person," Bobby bluntly stated. "You won't believe it, but it's true."

Jody really looked like she didn't believe them, so he said, "Alec was our little brother, and something happened and suddenly he was a little kid. We didn't know what to do, so we just took care of him and acted like he was Dean's kid. He looks just like Dean anyway, so it was believable. But out in those woods, we found Alec all grown up again. We still have no idea what happened, but Alec needs us and that's what we're focusing on."

Jody's gaze softened as he spoke, and she nodded when he was done. "And you have no idea what did that to him? What could've done that?"

"We have no idea," Bobby said honestly.

Jody nodded again, "Ok, I can see why you didn't tell anyone that."

"It sounds crazy," Sam said. "But you can see the proof with your own eyes. You saw Alec as a little kid and now he's all grown up. There's no way to explain it unless you know him."

"So, now what're you going to do?" Jody asked.

Sam shrugged, "We're just gonna get him back on his feet, and then I guess do what we did before he was a little kid." He was kind of sad that they were going to go back to hunting. They finally got to be a family for 10 months, where the scariest thing that could happen was Alec falling and getting hurt at the playground, and now monsters would be gunning for them again. His brothers would be in danger, serious danger, and he could lose them on any hunt. He didn't want to go back to that. He didn't care how many people they saved, no one could amount to his brothers.

"And what did you do before Alec was a kid?" Jody asked.

"We just traveled around looking for work," Sam hedged. It was sort of true; they did travel around looking for jobs, just not jobs that normal people would take.

"And you'll go back to doing that?" Jody asked with a frown. "But you have a life here, friends, why would you leave again?"

"It's too hard," Sam admitted. "Everywhere we look, it reminds us of taking care of Alec when he was two. Alec has no idea what happened to him, and it's hard enough trying to explain it to him let alone everyone else in town. Half the people here knew Alec as a little kid…it's going to be impossible to explain how Alec just suddenly grew up."

"But Jake had a good solution," Jody pointed out. "He said Alec had just gotten back, assuming he was in the army or something. You could use that, and that would be a good explanation for everyone. You boys wouldn't have to go."

"And where would baby Alec be?" Bobby asked, his voice gentle. "They would never see him again and there'd be so many questions. That little boy had a lot of friends…"

Jody took a deep breath, "We could work something out…I don't know…"

"It'll just be better to get back to normal," Sam said. He said it, but he didn't think it was true. Dean had freaked out when he'd told him Alec was missing, but he wasn't sure his brother would get over losing his chance at being a Dad. He hoped that the two of them were actually talking and were somehow getting through this. Hopefully it wasn't the stupidest idea in the world leaving the two of them alone together, but things could be a whole lot worse if the two of them didn't find some way to get through this.

Bobby gave him a look, knowing he didn't believe it, but he said, "The boys need some time to adjust. They'll probably hang out at the house for a while to get used to being brothers again before they hit the road."

"What about Mushu? Your dog can't travel around like that, can he? He's just a puppy…" Jody said.

"Mushu will be stayin' with me," Bobby said. "I lost my other dog, so now I've got a new watchdog."

"And it'll be that easy? To just cut everyone off? To forget everything?" Jody asked, her eyes sad. He realized she really was sad to see them go. She'd been going to the park with them every week and hanging out at Bobby's house more, so she felt like family. They wouldn't just be leaving their life behind that they'd made here, but they'd be leaving family behind too. There just wasn't an easy solution to this.

"Jody…" Sam breathed. "It won't be easy, and we'll still visit. It'll just take a while to get used to things being back to normal."

"It would be hard to stick around, to have a life and friends, family…" Jody said, standing up. "But it wouldn't be impossible." She started walking away from them, but then said, "Can you at least let me know before you hit the road? Like it or not, with baby Alec or adult Alec, you boys have become like family to me and I'd like to say goodbye if I'm not going to see you again."

She walked away from them, making him feel even worse about their situation than before. This was an impossible choice. Bobby patted his back after a moment and said, "Not much else you can do…Just be sure to actually call her before you boys hit the road…"

He took a deep breath before he let it back out in a huff. Why didn't everything have to be so complicated?

* * *

It was dark in his room when he finally woke up again. He'd fallen asleep when Dean had started telling him about their trip to Freak Valley. Things were starting to make sense now that he knew what had happened. Sam and Dean really had taken care of him, and it sounded like he really was happy. There was no reason to look for a way to change him back, and he understood it now.

He'd wanted to hear more about everything that had happened, but he was still exhausted. His muscles still ached, and even though his fever had dropped down a little, he wasn't back to normal. He still had cold chills and was still dehydrated, so he wasn't getting out of the hospital any time soon. He was still hoping for just one night at the hospital, hoping his brothers would accept that he could recover at home.

He looked around his dark room and saw that his brothers were both asleep. Dean was still in the recliner while Sam was laying halfway on his bed, but still sitting in a chair next to him. Bobby was asleep too, well, probably asleep. It was hard to tell since his hat was pulled down over his eyes and he was sitting in the corner at an angle that he couldn't really see him at.

He did a double take when he saw there was one more person in the room. It was a woman, and she was standing in the doorway. She was beautiful. She had long red hair, pale skin, and she was wearing a flowy looking dress. He thought he might be hallucinating, or even seeing a ghost, but her green eyes snapped over to his as soon as he looked at her. She gave him a soft smile and slowly walked over to him.

"Hi Alec," she said. Her voice was soothing, and he immediately felt at ease as soon as she spoke.

"Hi…" he replied, unsure what else to say. He didn't even think to question how she knew his name.

She reached out and held his hand, but he was surprised to find that her hand was even colder than his. Maybe she was a ghost. She sat next to him, sitting on the edge of the bed on the opposite side that Sam was on. "Alec, my name is Mira. I'm the one who turned you into a little kid," she said.

He frowned, "What?"

"I'm a witch, but I don't use my powers for evil," Mira said. "I find people who need a second chance at life, and give them that. I make sure they have someone around that will love and take care of them before I turn them. I usually look for hunters that hunt in pairs. Hunters do a lot of good in this world, but at a high price. They lose most of the people they love and don't have any family left. But as soon as I saw you, I knew I needed to give you a chance. You had a terrible life until you met your brothers. I wanted to take that pain away and give you a second chance. A chance to be loved and protected."

"Ok…then why'd you turn me back?" Alec asked.

"I give everyone a choice. I was going to turn you back a few months ago, but Sam and Dean were very protective of you and wouldn't let you out of their sight," Mira said. "But I don't force anyone to take their second chance. I let them choose if they want to live their current life, or if they want to start over."

"How can I even make that choice? I don't remember being a kid," Alec said. His heart pounded with the possibility that he could give his brothers what they wanted. He could be a kid again. He didn't know if that was really what he wanted though. He couldn't really remember being a kid; he just knew what Dean told him.

"Alec, close your eyes," Mira said.

He did what he was told, and gasped when he was suddenly bombarded with memories. Everything was coming back to him. Every day with Sam and Dean, every time Bobby chased him around and made him laugh, every bath, every nap, every meal…His heart felt like it was going to explode with the amount of happy memories that he suddenly had.

He felt tears streaming down his cheeks, but he wasn't sad. He could feel how happy he'd been, how much hope he had. He actually loved life. He didn't feel any weight from Manticore, any of the losses he'd felt, any of the pain.

He finally opened his eyes after a few minutes, his tears still falling. Mira gently wiped away his tears and said, "Now you remember, so now you can make a choice."

"How? How am I supposed to choose between that life and this one?" Alec asked, suddenly feeling a new weight. This choice was the choice that would actually determine the rest of his life. But it wasn't only his life, it was his brothers' lives too. How was he supposed to do this?

"Think about it," Mira said. "Talk to your brothers, and find out how they feel. But remember, the decision is still yours. Chose what makes you happy."

"When do I have to decide?" Alec asked.

"I'll come back tomorrow night," Mira said. She leaned forward and kissed his cheek before she stood up and walked back to the door. "I'll be back tomorrow," Mira said again, and then she disappeared.

He blinked a few times, wondering if he really was insane, but he couldn't ignore the memories that he suddenly had. He closed his eyes and smiled thinking about having a family that loved him from the very start. He could have that again if he wanted…

He opened his eyes again and looked at his brothers. He needed to talk to them; he needed to know what they thought before he made a decision.

He took a deep breath and dropped his head back against his pillow. This was going to be impossible.

* * *

 _So, there's only one, maybe two chapters left! Any thoughts on what Alec should choose?_

 _Hope you guys like the story! More soon!_


	17. Chapter 17

Somehow, his little brother looked worse when he woke up again. He didn't know what happened, but Alec looked like he was going to be sick. "Hey, you want me to get the doctor in here?" Dean asked, sitting up and rubbing Alec's shoulder.

"I think I'm gonna be sick," Alec breathed out.

He tried to get up and get the trashcan in time, but he still wasn't moving as fast as he usually did. He heard Alec heave, and immediately changed directions. He walked to the door instead of the bathroom and opened it to see if any nurses were around. He caught one woman's eyes, and she stopped and asked, "Need something, honey?"

"My brother just got sick and we didn't get a trashcan in time…" Dean said softly.

She gave him a small smile and nodded in understanding, "Let me grab a few things and I'll be right back."

"Thank you," Dean said, closing the door and going back to his little brother.

"I'm so sorry, Uncl-…um, Sam," Alec said, his cheeks heating suddenly in embarrassment and he dropped his head down.

Sam stood up and put his hand on the back of Alec's neck and reassured, "It's ok, Alec. I'm just gonna go clean up."

He smirked seeing the puke in Sam's hair. "That's what you get for having girly hair," Dean teased as Sam walked by him.

"Shut up," Sam grumbled.

"I didn't even think about waking him up…" Alec said miserably. "I forgot he was sleeping on my bed…"

"Alec, it's ok," Dean soothed, walking over to his little brother. He carefully rolled up the blanket with most of the puke on it and set it aside before he walked over to the bathroom. "Sam, get me a couple wet washcloths," he said, trying not to laugh at seeing his brother washing puke out of his hair. Sam glared at him, but handed him what he asked for. He knew he was just giving him the washcloths to get him to go away, and because it was for Alec.

He cleaned Alec up the best he could, and the nurse helped him change and got him new blankets once she got there, and then he dabbed one of the washcloths across Alec's forehead and cheeks to try to lower his fever and to try to comfort him. His heart hurt knowing that he was only allowed to take care of Alec because his brother was letting him do this. If Alec was still his kid, he wouldn't have to worry about hurting Alec's pride by taking care of him. But he couldn't think about the 'what-if's'. Alec was here, he was hurt, he needed help, and that's what he was going to focus on.

It took him a few minutes to realize that he was soaking up tears from Alec's cheeks. He immediately pulled the washcloth away and asked in concern, "Alec, what's wrong? What happened? Are you in a lot of pain? Is it your stomach? Is that why you got sick?"

Alec drew in a shuddering breath and shook his head no. "I…I gotta talk to you…"

"Ok, what's up?" Dean asked, trying his hardest to be casual. He sat down on the edge of Alec's bed and tried not to panic. But what if Alec was weirded out that they'd taken care of him while he was a kid? Or what if he was mad that they didn't try to change him back? He might decide he didn't want to be here anymore, and then he really would lose Alec. He wouldn't have his little brother or his kid.

"Sam…Sam's gotta be here too," Alec stuttered. He took in another deep breath to try to collect himself.

"Ok, we can wait," Dean soothed, doing his best to keep Alec calm. Whatever Alec wanted to tell them, he was freaking out about it, and he'd made himself sick thinking about it. Which meant it was bad.

"What's going on?" Sam asked when he walked out of the bathroom, his hair damp from his sink bath. He looked between the two of them, and frowned when he saw Alec. Their little brother's face was sickly pale and he was shaking slightly with his nerves.

He didn't care if it was nerves that was causing him to shake, he grabbed Alec's pills and held two out for him to take. "It's not the seizures," Alec whispered.

"Just…humor me, ok?" Dean asked. Alec nodded and took his pills like he asked. "So…Sam's here now…do you wanna tell me what's going on?" Dean asked, his voice soft.

"Where's Bobby?" Alec asked back, stalling.

"I don't know," Dean said, looking to the corner where Bobby had fallen asleep and not seeing him there. "Maybe he went to the cafeteria?" Alec swallowed hard, looking like he was going to be sick again. "Alec…are you freaked out that we took care of you?" Dean asked. He needed to get to the bottom of whatever was going on so Alec could feel better. He wouldn't feel better until he got whatever this was off of his chest.

"No," Alec quickly denied. "No, it's not that…I get it now…I…" He had a weird feeling that Alec now remembered being a kid. It had sounded like he'd almost called Sam 'Uncle Sam', but he hadn't been sure. Now, he was pretty sure Alec knew. Maybe that was why he was acting weird. Maybe he was just freaked out that he remembered and wasn't sure how to tell them.

Sam walked over and sat at Alec's other side, putting a comforting hand against Alec's arm. "Are you mad that we didn't look for a why to change you back?" Sam asked.

"No…you won't believe me," Alec said, running his free hand through his hair before he rubbed the back of his neck in his nervous tell.

"Alec, you've been a little kid for 10 months and we found you magically grown up again…whatever you wanna tell us, we're gonna believe you," Dean said.

"Ok…just let me get it all out before you say anything, ok? Because if I stop, I don't think I can start again," Alec said.

He and Sam shared a look before he nodded, "Ok, just tell us what's going on."

Alec took a deep breath, and then said, "I remember everything." He immediately wanted to interrupt and tell him that it was ok, but he stayed quiet and let Alec keep talking. "There was this woman…she just appeared in the doorway over there, but she didn't seem threatening… she was beautiful, actually, with long red hair and pale skin…"

"You saw her?" Sam asked.

"Sam!" Dean snapped. He didn't want Alec to stop talking, especially since he had no idea where this was going.

"It's ok," Alec said. "That's not really the part that giving me problems…"

"Ok, so you saw this woman," Dean said. "Who, by the way, has been stalking you for a while…Maybe we should get back to Bobby's. We've been trying to keep her away from you, but…she's persistent…"

"She's not gonna hurt me," Alec said, sounding way too sure. "She's the one that changed me into a kid. She said she did it because she thought I deserved a second chance."

"Wh-"

"Wait," Alec said before he could ask him anything. "There's more…That's what she does, she changes people into kids to give them a second chance, but then changes them back after a while." Alec stopped and looked between him and Sam before he said. "She gives them a choice. I can either stay this age, or go back to being a kid."

* * *

He couldn't tell what his brothers were thinking. They both just sat there in shock after he said that. God, he didn't know what to do. He felt like he might throw up again, but he wasn't sure. He had no idea what his brothers would decide, and he didn't know what he _wanted_ them to decide.

"What?" Sam finally breathed out.

"I have to choose between being me and being a kid again," Alec said miserably. "And I have no idea! She gave me all my memories back, so I know how awesome it was to be a kid, a real kid, with a future, and only knowing love and comfort instead of being scared and in pain all the time. But…I don't know…I don't know what to do!"

"Ok, calm down," Dean ordered, finally snapping out of his shock. "Just take a deep breath and relax, ok? Let's talk about it, and think everything through."

He nodded and took a deep breath to keep calm. "I only have until tonight to decide."

"Jeez, she moves fast, huh?" Dean said, trying to force a smile, but it didn't work. His brothers both had tears in their eyes, but they were trying to keep it together. This was too much. Maybe he should've just kept this to himself and decided when Mira came back.

"Alec, what do you want to do?" Sam asked gently.

"I don't know," Alec breathed out. "I wanted to find out what you guys wanted…"

"Alec, we just want you to be happy," Dean said.

"Either way I'll be happy, and that's why this is so hard," Alec said. "I'm happy now, having brothers, and Max…Shit…I forgot about Max."

"Alec, we didn't tell her that you're not a kid anymore," Sam said. "We went to visit her while you were a kid and she just wants you to be happy too."

He took another deep breath and said, "Ok, so, I have Max as a girlfriend now, but I don't have her when I'm a kid…for obvious reasons…" Sam and Dean both smiled a little and nodded. "So either way, there are good things and bad things…"

"Ok, think about this," Dean said. "And I'm not trying to sway your opinion, but think about Manticore." He nearly flinched just thinking about it. "When you're a kid, you don't remember as much because you haven't been through it."

"But it did help shape who you are," Sam said. "When you're a kid, who knows how you'll turn out. Unfortunately, you'll probably be just like Dean."

He huffed out a laugh, "Good point."

"Hey!" Dean said, pretending to be affronted.

"What would make you guys happy?" Alec asked, looking away from both of them so they wouldn't see how important this question was.

"Either way, we're happy," Sam said.

"Alec, you've been our little brother for over two years, and you were our kid for 10 months," Dean started. "If there's one thing I've learned, it's that we can't live without you. I don't care what age you are, we just need you in our lives. You're our family, no matter what."

He sighed, "I was hoping you'd just be able to decide for me…"

* * *

"Let's try some Pepto-Bismol," the doctor told him. "Maybe that will help settle your stomach…" He knew it wouldn't, but he took some anyway. "Does anything sound good?" the doctor asked.

"I'll just throw it up again," Alec mumbled. He'd thrown up six more times, and he couldn't keep anything down. He only had a few hours left before he had to make his decision and he still had no idea what to do. His stomach turned again just thinking about it.

Dean immediately moved, holding the pan for him to throw up again. There went the Pepto-Bismol…

"We'll keep you hydrated," the doctor said. "This could be a side-effect from you being dehydrated for so long. If nothing changes the next few hours, we'll try something else."

He nodded and waited for the doctor to go away before he begged, "Can we please go home? I'm not throwing up because of the dehydration…I'm throwing up because I'm freaking out. I wanna go home."

Sam and Dean shared a look, but then Dean finally nodded his agreement. "Ok kiddo, let's go home. But you're staying on the sofa and you're staying on an IV, ok?"

"Ok," Alec quickly agreed.

"Sam, go tell Bobby we're goin' home, and then bring the car to the side door," Dean said. "I'll find Alec's clothes and we'll sneak outta here."

Sam nodded and left the room while Dean searched for his clothes. He watched his brother, and tears filled his eyes again. How could he choose? How could he decide between having Dean as his brother and having Dean as his Dad? How could he decide for his brothers what their lives were going to be?

"Alec," Dean said, gently touching his shoulder. He jumped at the contact, making Dean tighten his grip. "Easy, kiddo, take some deep breaths, ok? We're goin' home, and we'll keep talking about this. We'll figure this out."

"I can't decide," Alec breathed. "I can't make this decision. This decision isn't just my life. It's your life, Sam's life, Bobby's life…How can I be responsible for this? I shouldn't be responsible for anything!"

"Hey," Dean snapped. "Stop talking and start moving. We gotta get you dressed and outta here before one of your nurses figures out you're missing." Dean helped him up and helped him get dressed. He was way too unsteady on his feet, and he knew throwing up multiple times hadn't helped his recovery at all. "You're takin' some more pills once we get home," Dean said as he grabbed his arm and looped it over his shoulders. "We'll get ya warmed up at home and figure everything out."

He nodded and let Dean help him out of his room, and they slowly walked down the hall.

"Ok, so, what're you thinking?" Dean asked softly after they had made it to the stairwell.

"I still don't know," Alec whispered. "That's why I keep throwing up."

Dean was quiet for a long time, but then he said, "Whatever you pick, I'll back you up."

"Even if I decide to still be me?" Alec asked. He thought back to how devastated Dean had been, that he wouldn't even come downstairs to see him. If he decided to not be a kid, would Dean hate him?

"No matter what," Dean said. "You're a Winchester…and I'll tell you what I told you when you were little…" Dean stopped to take a deep breath, and then said, "I will love you and protect you, no matter what."

He smiled a little and said, "And then I asked what love meant."

Dean chucked, "Yeah, and I'm not sure if I explained it right or not…"

"I think you did," Alec said. They were almost to the door now, so he had to say this before they got outside. "Dean…when she comes back tonight…I think I should be by myself."

"What?" Dean asked back.

"I just…I gotta do this by myself," Alec said. "I won't be able to actually make the decision if you and Sam are standing there looking at me."

Dean nodded in understanding, "You'll choose whatever you think me and Sam want you to choose…"

"But if I'm by myself, I can choose what I want to choose," Alec said.

"Alright, we'll be in another room when she comes in," Dean said.

"Outside," Alec corrected. "I don't want you listening in either."

Dean ruffled his hair, "Alright, kiddo, we'll be outside. But whatever you decide, we're good."

* * *

He wasn't surprised when Mira appeared in Bobby's living room. He wished he had more time, but at least his brothers and Bobby had listened to him and were outside right now. Mira gave him a small smile as she walked over to him. He was sort of sitting up on the sofa, propped up by pillows with a few blankets on top of him. He'd only thrown up two more times, but he wasn't feeling any better.

"Hey Alec," Mira said softly. She sat next to his hip and grabbed his hand. "Did you think it over?"

"Yeah…" He said, his voice shaky.

"Alec, relax, take a deep breath," Mira soothed. "This is a big decision. Do you want to talk about it first?"

"It's permanent, right?" Alec asked. "There's no more back and forth?"

"That's right," Mira said. "Whatever you decide, that's it."

"Will I still be sick, or hurt or whatever, if I decide to be a kid?" Alec asked.

"Unfortunately, yes," Mira said. "When I turned you the first time, I had to hit you on the back of the head so you wouldn't shoot me. And when I found you out in the woods, I had to change you back or else you would have died. You were too little to survive out there for so long."

"If I stay this age…will I remember being a kid?" Alec asked.

"Yes," Mira replied. "But you probably won't remember this life if you decide to be a kid. You might remember flashes or have dreams about this life, but I can't tell you how much that will be."

"What would you choose?" Alec asked, meeting her green eyes with his.

"I can't decide this for you," Mira said. "This is your choice."

"That's what my brothers pretty much said," Alec muttered.

"I usually don't do this, but do you need more time to decide?" Mira asked.

"No…no, I can't take this anymore," Alec said. "I keep throwing up and it's just gonna get worse until I make a decision."

"So, what's your decision?" Mira asked, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

* * *

He paced. He hated that he'd let Alec talk him into waiting outside. He wanted to know what was going on, what Alec had decided. He didn't know what he even wanted Alec to choose, but he wanted to know what he decided. He just needed to know. So, he paced.

"Dean, you gotta relax," Sam said. "I'm sure we'll know pretty soon."

"What do you want him to decide?" Dean asked. "I wouldn't tell him…I didn't want him to choose what I wanted just because I wanted it, you know? I wanted him to choose what he wanted…"

"I'll be happy either way," Sam said.

"Well, yeah, but what are you leaning towards?" Dean asked.

"What are you leaning towards?" Sam shot back.

"You know what I'm leaning towards," Dean muttered. "I feel terrible for wanting my little boy back, but I don't think I'm ready to give up this life…"

"Me too," Sam admitted. "But if he decides to be himself, then you can't disappear on him."

"I won't," Dean growled. "I told him I'm with him no matter what, and I wasn't lying. I'm just happy he's alive."

"We could still have normal," Sam said. "We could stick around here, you can still help Bobby, and I can still go to school…"

"And what about Alec?" Dean asked. "What's he gonna do?"

"Whatever he wants," Sam said. "We could figure out something for everyone in town. Maybe baby Alec had to go live with his mother and our Alec came back from overseas. We could tell Jody and she can back us up if that's what we decide."

"Let's just wait and see what he chooses," Dean said. But he didn't think that was such a bad idea. He and Alec could still go on a few hunts if they wanted to, but this could be their home base. They could still have a pretty normal life, a life that he'd never thought he'd have.

"Boys," Bobby said, drawing their attention.

He and Sam whipped around to face the front door in time to see it slowly open. A woman with long red hair and bright green eyes walked out holding a sleeping, baby Alec against herself. Tears filled his eyes as he ran forward and reached out to take his little boy. Alec snuggled against his neck and everything just clicked. It just felt right.

Sam ran up beside him and rubbed Alec's back as he held him. "He decided to be a kid?" Sam asked, his voice choked with tears. They had both thought Alec would choose to be himself since that's what he knew.

The woman nodded and said, "He wanted me to tell you that this was his decision. He wanted the second chance, a chance to have a family and a life away from Manticore. He loves you both so much."

"You aren't gonna just magically change him back again, are you?" Dean asked.

"No, this is it," she said. "Take good care of him, please?"

"We will," Sam said.

He kissed the side of Alec's head and hugged him close. "Thank you," Dean whispered, looking at the woman again.

She smiled at him, "You make a wonderful father. And Sam, you make a wonderful uncle. You all will have a great life together. I think Alec made the right decision." She smiled at all of them one more time before she disappeared.

His knees felt weak with relief that he had his little boy back. He was going to be a dad for the rest of his life.

"Dean, let's get him back inside," Sam said. "It feels like he still has a fever."

He nodded, "Should probably get him on an IV again too…"

They all walked in and he got Alec situated on the sofa again, and held him close. Alec wiggled against his chest, and then his big green eyes were looking up at him. "Daddy?"

"Hey kiddo," Dean whispered, brushing his fingers through Alec's hair.

"I don't feel good…" Alec mumbled.

"I know, baby, but you're gonna feel better soon," Dean reassured. "And I'm not going anywhere. I promise."

"I love you, Daddy," Alec said.

"I love you too, Alec," Dean said, kissing the top of Alec's head. He had his little boy back.

* * *

 _I hope you guys are ok with this decision! I decided this story could go completely AU since the family series is for the brothers. This story has one more chapter left, and then that will be it. I don't have any plans for a sequel for this AU, but little oneshots may pop up in the future. Hope you guys liked it!_

 _More soon..._


	18. Chapter 18

_Hey everyone! So, here it is, the end of this little AU that popped into my head. It got a lot bigger than I thought it would, but hopefully you all liked the story and hopefully you like the ending! So far, I haven't really thought of any future stories for this one, but there could be oneshots of Alec growing up if there's enough interest. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed, and favorited! Hope you all enjoyed!_

* * *

She took a deep breath as she walked from her car to Bobby Singer's front steps. She had gone to the hospital to check on Alec, but had found that they had all disappeared. She kept telling herself that she shouldn't be mad that they didn't call her, they had a lot on their minds and Alec was the priority. If he was feeling better, then he should be at home and they didn't need to worry about her.

But she couldn't stop feeling like she should check up on them. If they were gone, then fine, she would just have to get over it, but if they were still here, then maybe she could talk to them again and make sure they were going to visit her.

Her hope rose when she spotted Dean's car in the driveway, so at least they were still here. But she was nervous to see the boys again, especially Alec. She knew Alec as a little kid…how was she going to talk to Alec who was all grown up. She couldn't even understand what had happened to him, let alone talk to him about it. But she pushed all of that aside and took another deep breath as she rose her hand up to knock.

She froze though when she heard laughter from the other side of the door, and it wasn't just the deep chuckle from Dean, but there was also a high-pitched giggle from a little kid.

She immediately knocked, and she heard the sound of running footsteps, but no one answered the door. There was more running and giggling and screaming, and she smiled hearing how much fun they were having. She was still confused though, so she reached out and tried the door. She wasn't surprised to find the door unlocked, Bobby wasn't the type you would rob and even if someone would try to rob him, she was pretty sure he could handle it himself.

She opened the door and started to step inside, but she was immediately ambushed.

"Jody!"

A child, correction a naked little boy, threw himself at her, and she caught him in surprise. He wrapped his tiny little arms around her neck and hugged her close. "Alec?" Jody asked in confusion.

"Jody, you're back!" Alec yelled in delight.

"Alec?" Dean called out from another room. He appeared after a moment and his eyes widened when he saw her. "Jody! Hey…I'm sorry about him. He's supposed to be taking a bath, but he thought it would be more fun to take off and have me chase him…" He reached out and took Alec from her and teased, "Alec, you're naked! Jody's got a full view of your little butt!"

"You said butt," Alec said, poking Dean's cheek.

"So did you," Dean pointed out.

"Daddy, I don't want to take a bath," Alec said. "I want to play with Jody."

"You can play with Jody _after_ you take a bath," Dean said. He looked over at her and winked before he said, "He'll fall asleep right after I give him a bath, and then I'll tell you everything."

She nodded in understanding and watched as Dean carried Alec up the stairs. Alec turned and waved at her, and she smiled and waved back.

It couldn't be possible, but she had the proof right in front of her. But it didn't make any sense; first Alec was a kid, then he was suddenly grown up, and now he's a kid again…How was it even possible? Did she even want to know?

She heard a high-pitched giggle, and it made her smile. Alec was one happy kid and she couldn't help but love him. She felt terrible for thinking it, but she was grateful that he was back.

She walked further into Bobby's house and ended up sitting on the sofa. Toys littered the floor and there were pictures scattered across the coffee table. She smiled seeing Alec's smiling face in every single one.

"Sorry about that," Dean said, suddenly walking in the room again. Alec was in his PJ's, snuggled against Dean's chest as he carried him into the room. "But he should fall asleep in just a few minutes." Dean grabbed a sippy cup and walked into the kitchen before he came back and settled in on the sofa next to her. Alec drank whatever was in the sippy cup, but his eyes were drooping as he snuggled against Dean.

"So…" Jody said, unsure how to ask what had happened.

"It's complicated…" Dean said, shifting Alec around so he was lying across his lap.

"Dean, Sam and Bobby already filled me in on what they knew about adult Alec getting turned into baby Alec, and then back again. The last I knew, Alec was still an adult. I went to the hospital to check on you boys, and you were gone. I came here, and somehow Alec's a baby again. So, you just need to tell me how Alec is suddenly a baby again," Jody said.

"Ok, so there was this chick," Dean said. "She appeared in Alec's room at the hospital and I guess told him he had a choice, he could either stay an adult, or he could be a kid again. He chose to be a kid again."

"What?" Jody asked back. "She made him choose?"

"She says she always gives the ones she changes a choice, and Alec asked me and Sam what we thought he should do, but I couldn't make that choice for him…" Dean said. "She told us that he wanted the second chance, and honestly, I'm grateful he took it."

"Me too," Jody said with a small smile.

Dean chuckled suddenly and said, "You know, he's been sick since we left the hospital? Today was the first day he actually started acting like himself. He took off as soon as I got all his clothes off and ran around yelling for me to chase him."

She laughed and said, "I'm glad he's feeling better, and, I'm glad he's a kid again."

Dean smiled and nodded, "Yeah, I am too."

* * *

"Uncle Sammy?"

Alec's quiet voice stopped him in his tracks. He was trying to be quiet as he snuck through the living room, but Alec's hearing hadn't changed. "Hey buddy," Sam whispered, trying to let his brother still get some sleep. Alec had been sleeping on the sofa since he'd been changed back since he was still sick, and Dean slept with him on the sofa. He knew Dean wasn't comfortable on the sofa, but his brother wasn't going to leave Alec alone, and Alec had been getting sick about this time every night, so he had to stay on the sofa. "Do you feel sick?" Sam asked. Alec's lip trembled and he nodded, so he carefully picked him up and carried him to the bathroom.

He held Alec as he threw up, and then helped him rinse his mouth out when he was done.

"Ok, here we go," Sam soothed, sitting down in the rocking chair that Bobby had built. He held Alec and rocked slowly, trying to settle his stomach and get him back to sleep at the same time. He was surprised Dean was still asleep, but his brother was exhausted from constantly worrying about Alec. It had been three days since Alec had been changed back, but he was still pretty sick from his time out in the rain. Dean had said Alec had been excited when Jody visited, but that must have worn him out.

"Uncle Sammy, I don't feel good," Alec whispered.

"I know, buddy, but hopefully in a couple days you'll feel better," Sam said. He stood up with Alec in his arms and walked upstairs to Bobby's room. He knocked before he opened the door, ignoring Bobby's growl of annoyance, and said, "Bobby, we need to get him on an IV again. He just threw up and his fever's back."

"I thought Dean said he was acting like himself again," Bobby grumbled.

"Bobby, he just got sick," Sam said. "Help me get him on an IV, please?"

"Alright, alright…" Bobby said, slowly getting up. He rolled his eyes when Bobby gave Alec a small smile and said, "Hey there, kiddo. I hear you're not feeling good…"

"My tummy hurts," Alec said.

"Ok, we're gonna get you feelin' better," Bobby said. Bobby put his hand on Alec's forehead and frowned, "Where's Dean?"

"I let him sleep," Sam said. "He didn't wake up when I picked up Alec, which means he's exhausted, we need to let him sleep."

"Fine, but when he wakes up all pissed off that you put his kid on an IV again, you're takin' the blame," Bobby said.

"Big bad hunter is scared of my big brother…" Sam muttered in amusement.

"When it comes to you or Alec? Yeah, I'm scared of your brother," Bobby grumbled.

He chuckled, but then asked Alec, "Do you want to sleep with Daddy again or with me in the rocking chair?"

"I might get sick again…" Alec whispered.

"Ok, how about I hold you until you fall asleep again," Sam suggested. "That way I can get you to the bathroom if you get sick again."

"Ok…"

He sat down with Alec again and held him against his chest. Even though Alec was sick right now, he couldn't ignore how happy he was that Alec was a kid again. He was going to miss having a little brother, but he and Dean had a second chance just as much as Alec did. They were going to have a normal life now, a mostly safe life. They wouldn't have a completely safe life, he knew that; Dean wasn't as reckless now, and Alec was too young to get into too much trouble, but they both liked helping people too much to turn a blind eye. There were going to be times that Dean couldn't ignore a cry of help, and he'd put himself in danger to help them. That's just who his brother was, and he knew without a doubt that Alec had that same trait. When Alec was older, he and Dean were going to be a mess worrying about him, but he wouldn't change it for the world.

Bobby rolled his eyes when he walked back into the room and muttered, "You boys are gonna be the death of me…" Bobby grabbed a blanket and draped it over him and Alec before he gently grabbed Alec's little hand. "Ok, this is gonna hurt just a little bit, remember? But just for a minute."

Alec nodded, and didn't even flinch when Bobby inserted the needle into one of his veins. "You did so good," Sam praised, rubbing Alec's back. "Do you think you can get some sleep now?" Alec nodded again and rested against his chest. "Can you wake Dean up?" Sam asked. "He needs to know…"

Bobby huffed, but walked over to Dean and shook his shoulder. "C'mon kid, Alec got sick again," Bobby said.

Dean jolted awake and immediately looked around for Alec. He relaxed when his eyes landed on Alec, and he slowly got up and walked over. "Is he ok?" Dean asked, looking at him.

"His fever's back and he threw up," Sam said. "I thought we should get him back on an IV just in case."

Dean nodded in agreement, and then asked, "You ok sitting with him? I don't want to move him as long as he's comfortable, but if he's too heavy or your leg falls asleep or something, then we'll move him."

"No, he's ok," Sam said, trying not to laugh. Alec barely weighed anything now that he was a tiny baby. He was just surprised Dean didn't just take Alec back. He wouldn't blame his brother if he did; Dean was Alec's Dad and he knew it killed him to be away from him, but this was a pretty big step for Dean.

Dean smiled a little, like he knew what he was thinking, and said, "Sam, I trust you with him. I know I'm overprotective, but I do trust you with him."

"I know you do," Sam reassured.

"How are we gonna get him feeling better?" Dean asked.

"I don't know…" Sam said.

"You two have a lot to learn," Bobby said with a smirk. "He's gonna be ok. He went through a traumatic event, and then he was changed from a kid, to an adult, and then back to a kid. He needs some time to adjust. He needs some sleep and some fluids, and then he'll be back to normal. You boys just need to give him some time."

"You know, you're not really making me feel any better," Dean said with a scowl.

"Believe it or not, I don't care," Bobby grumbled. "Now, don't wake me up again unless Alec needs somethin' else."

He and Dean shared a look as Bobby walked back up the stairs.

"I don't care what he says, I won't relax until Alec's better…" Dean muttered.

"I'm with you there," Sam said, looking down at the sleeping little boy. His cheeks were flushed from the fever, but other than that, he seemed to be sleeping soundly. Hopefully, he really would start feeling better after some sleep and some fluids. He kissed the top of Alec's head and settled in to wait.

* * *

"Daddy, what are we doing?" Alec asked. His little boy reached for him as soon as he got him unbuckled, and he immediately picked him up. Sam and Bobby got out of the car too, and he walked around to meet them.

"Well, since you're feeling better, we thought we'd do something fun today," Dean said.

"Like what?" Alec asked.

"I was going to let you pick," Dean said. "Do you want to go to the park, go see a movie, or go to the zoo?"

"What's the zoo?" Alec asked.

"That's where you can see a bunch of different animals that you wouldn't be able to see normally," Dean explained. He wasn't so sure if the zoo was a great idea since technically Alec was created with some cat DNA _and_ he'd been kept in a cage for part of his life. But it was pretty cool to see some of the animals there since they would never be able to see them in real life.

"What kind of animals?" Alec asked, playing with his collar.

"Like…tigers, monkeys, penguins…um…"

"And bears, dolphins, whales," Sam said when he stopped. "There are tons of animals there."

"Daddy, do you want to go to the zoo?" Alec asked.

"I want to do whatever you want to do, ok kiddo?" Dean said.

"If I don't like the zoo…can we do something else?" Alec asked.

Well, yeah!" Dean said with a smile.

"Ok, let's go to the zoo," Alec said.

So, right after they ate breakfast he drove them to the zoo, and it was even better than he thought it would be. Alec was excited every time they walked to a new exhibit, and then it took at least 15 minutes before he even thought about moving onto the next one.

It took a lot of convincing and even a bribery of ice cream to get Alec to agree to even stop for lunch. He had to explain multiple times that they weren't actually leaving the zoo, they were just going to find somewhere to eat that was inside the zoo. Alec was so focused on the animals, he hadn't even noticed that there were places to eat every so often too.

They ate and walked around until Alec was so tired, he was practically sleep walking. He picked Alec up and started heading for the exit, but stopped when Alec asked, "Daddy…do we have to leave?"

"Alec, you're already almost asleep," Dean said. "And the zoo closes pretty soon."

"Oh…ok…" Alec mumbled, resting against his shoulder. He started walking again, but then Alec asked, "Daddy…can we go to the zoo tomorrow too?"

He chuckled, "Yeah Alec, we can go to the zoo tomorrow too. We can do whatever you want." They could do anything they wanted for the rest of their lives. He didn't care if Alec wanted to go to college or if he found out about hunting. He would be proud of his son no matter what he decided to do.

Alec snuggled against his neck while Sam and Bobby walked on either side of him. He smiled; he couldn't imagine ever being happier in his life. And for the first time in his life, he was excited to find what the future would hold.

* * *

 _The End._


End file.
